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A PHYSICIAN'S 



Counsels to Woman, 



IN 



HEALTH AND DISEASE. 






BY 



WALTER C. TAYLOR, A.M., M.D., 

AUTHOR OF "GYNECOLOGICAL NOTES ;" " A PHYSICIAN'S COUNSELS TO 
MAN IN HEALTH AND DISEASE," ETC. ETC. • 






SPRINGFIELD: 

W. J. HOLLAND & CO 
1871. 



*<&. 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1871, by 
W. J. HOLLAND & CO., 

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress. The right of translation 
is reserved. 



PREFACE. 



The most eminent physicians both here and in 
England have united in deploring the ignorance 
which produces the vast amount of disease and 
suffering among women. All agree that infor- 
mation is needed, but few come forward to give 
it. I have endeavored in this work to supply the 
want, in the same manner, as in my " Counsels to 
Man" I pointed out to him the weak parts of 
his nature, and provided him with resources to 
fortify them. 

It may be asserted that there are already works 
of this character in the market, sufficiently full 
and explicit. I feel confident that even a super- 
ficial examination will prove that none of them 
embrace the subject as completely as this which 
I now present. INot confining myself to mere 
i* (5) 



6 PREFACE. 

matters of physiology and hygiene, as is too com- 
monly the case, I have given especial attention to 
the real kernel of the subject — Disease, its preven- 
tion, its detection, its causes, its cure. Strangely 
enough, in some works professing to instruct 
woman in the care of her health, this is wholly 
omitted ; in others it is wrapt in such ambiguity 
of technical phrase, or else described in such 
coarse and vulgar terms, as to be useless and re- 
pulsive. 

Seeing the faults committed by others, I have 
endeavored to avoid them; and dare to natter 
myself with the belief that I here offer a work 
to the women of America, open to none of these 
objections, and which, if they once peruse, they 
will not willingly be without. 



CONTENTS. 



Preface 



page 
5—6 



PART I. 

WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS . . • 15-27 
Her form— Her height and weight— Her 
strength— Her pulse and respiration— 
• Her temperament — Her disposition— 
Her statistics of life— Her longevity— 
Her health and peculiar diseases— Con- 
clusions on the differences of the sexes. 



28—54 



PUBERTY 

The signs of puberty— When it comes— Its 
perils— Green sickness— Nervousness— 
The care of puberty— The hidden sin. 

THE MONTHLY CHANGE 55 - 65 

Its nature— Its duration and amount— Its 
hygiene. . ^ v 



8 



CONTENTS. 



NUBILITY 

Its period — The laws of marriage — The age 
of marriage — The clangers of early matri- 
mony — The dangers of late matrimony. 



PAGE 

66—76 



THE SINGLE LIFE 



77—80 



THE CHANGE OF LIFE 81—95 

The age of decline — Its signs — Its diseases 
— Its hygiene. 



THE PRELIMINARIES OF MARRIAGE . 
The difference in age of bride and groom— 
The union of May and December — Who 
should not marry — Should the marriage 
of cousins be forbidden ? 



96—105 



PAET II. 

WOMAN" A WIFE. 

ANIMAL AND SPIRITUAL LOVE . . . 107- 
The first experiences — The indulgence of 
desire — The sleeping apartment — The 
bed and its coverings. 



•115 



WHAT PARENTS TRANSMIT TO THEIR 

OFFSPRING 116-134 

The physical peculiarities we inherit — Can 
we have beautiful children at will ? — The 
muscular and vital powers capable of 
transmission — The intellectual powers 
capable of transmission — The diverse in- 



CONTENTS. 9 

PAGE 

fluence of fathers and mothers — The 
moral qualities capable of transmission — 
The diseases capable of transmission. 

ON THE VOLUNTARY PRODUCTION OF 

SEX 135—145 

Various causes which influence the sex of 
the child — The effect of the relative age 
of the parents — The alleged effect of the 
physical condition of the parents — Which 
sex is the more numerous ? 

THE LIMITATION OF FAMILIES . . . 146—153 
The crime of abortion. 

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY . 154—158 
How the presence of twins may be known. * 

THE HYGIENE OF PREGNANCY . . . 159—187 
The diet — The dress — Air and exercise — 
The nervous system — The influence of 
the mother's mind on the unborn child — 
Precautions during pregnancy in the in- 
terests of the child — Is pregnancy useful 
or hurtful to female health and beauty ? 
— Influence of pregnancy on the intel- 
lectual faculties. 

THE PERILS OF PREGNANCY , . . 188—201 
Puerperal mania — The influence of preg- 
nancy upon chronic and recent diseases 
— The treatment of morning sickness— 



10 CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Marital relations during pregnancy — 
How to ascertain the probable date of 
confinement. 

PART III. 
THE WIFE A MOTHER. 

RULES CONCERNING NURSING . .' . 203—241 
Why a mother should nurse her own child 
— What the mother needs to fit her to 
nurse her child — What makes nursing 
difficult — What forbids* nursing — Con- 
clusions relative to maternal nursing — 
Important hygienic facts — How soon 
after birth should the mother give the 
breast ? — Precautions in giving the breast 
— What is the best position in which to 
nurse ? — How often ought the child nurse 
during the day? — Is it necessary at night 
to give the breast so often as in the day- 
time? — The amount of milk the infant 
needs — The influence of the mother's 
food upon her milk — The influence of the 
monthly sickness upon the milk — The 
influence of the marital relation on the 
milk^-The influence of pregnancy on the 
milk — The influence of emotion on the 
milk — Other influences which modify the 
nature of the milk — Means of recognizing 
changes in the milk — Too much or too 
little milk — At what age may the child 
have other food than milk? — The proper 
food for infants — At what age should the 
child be weaned? — The food of the child 
after weaning. 



CONTENTS. 11 

PAGE 

THE HYGIENE OP THE INFANT BEFORE 

WEANING 242—248 

The air it breathes — Its light — Its tempera- 
ture — Its sleep — The clothing it wears. 

WHAT THE MOTHER SHOULD DO IN SLIGHT 

ACCIDENTS TO THE CHILD . . . 249—254 

Accidents which do not require the physi- 
cian's care — Small wounds and cuts — 
The dressing of small wounds — Means 
of quieting children and checking their 
bursts of passion — Burns and scalds — % 
The immediate dressing of burns and 
scalds — The first cares in grave falls, dis- 
locations and fractures. 

THE ROLE OF THE MOTHER IN THE DIS- 
EASES OF CHILDHOOD 255—273 

Useless and dangerous medicines for chil- 
dren — Injurious medicated soaps — The 
diseases of the child while teething — The 
scrofulous constitution. 



PART IV. 

WOMAN IN DISEASE. 

THE CAUSES OF DISEASE IN WOMAN . 275—280 
Folly in- dress^-The neglect of exercise 
and fresh air — Improper nervous excite- 
ment — Imprudences during the monthly 
periods — The production of abortion — 
Want of care after childbirth. 



/ 



12 CONTEXTS. 

PAGE 

THE PRETENTION OF DISEASE IN WOMAN 280—287 

Systematic health culture — Precautions 
during the monthly periods — A well- 
assorted marriage — Pregnancy. 

PAINFUL PERIODS ...... 288—299 

Different forms of the affection — Painful 
periods due to neuralgia, causes, symp- 
toms, and treatment — Painful periods 
due to congestion, causes, sj'mptoms, 
and treatment— Painful periods* due to 
obstruction — Useful receipts. 

PROFUSE PERIODS 300—303 

The causes, effects, and treatment — Useful 
receipts. 

SCANTY AND SUPPRESSED PERIODS . 304—318 

The causes, effects, and treatment — Useful 
receipts. 

STERILITY IN MARRIAGE .... 319—330 

Influence of the age of marriage on the 
probable size of the family, on the birth 
of the first child, and on the period of 
childbearing — Periods of temporary ste- 
rility — Constitutional causes of sterilitj*, 
excessive obesity, extreme leanness — 
Counsel to sterile wives. 



CONTENTS. 



13 



PAGE 

WHITE FLOWING ; ' 331—339 

The nature and character of "the whites" 
—The causes— The treatment— The pro- 
per manner of using injections— Direc- 
tions for soothing, cooling, astringent, 
and deodorizing injections. 

POVERTY OF THE BLOOD .... 340—351 
An unfortunate opinion in regard to im- 
poverished blood— The causes and how 
to avoid them— The symptoms and how 
to distinguish them— The treatment aud 
how to conduct it— Iron a necessity 
—The methods of administering it- 
How to combine it with vegetable bit- 
ters—Other valuable tonics— Useful re- 
ceipts. 

NEURALGIC PAINS . . . . • • • 352-356 
•Rheumatism and neuralgia of the womb 
and ovaries; symptoms, prevention, and 
treatment— Useful receipts. 

HEADACHES 357-383 

Sick headache; symptoms, causes, and 
treatment— Nervous headache; symp- 
toms, causes, and treatment. 

PARTING WORDS . . . • - • • 385-387 
INiEX 889 - 401 



PART I. 



Madame Necker-Saussure has said, 
" "When one wishes to write upon woman, 
he should dip his pen in the colors of the 
rainbow, and throw over the written lines 
the dust of the butterfly's wings." "We 
have no ink of brilliant hue at our disposal. 
The subject is worthy of the most gorgeous 
imagery ; but our purpose is to record the 
facts of science in language which strives 
to be clear. 

"Woman is woman not merely because of 
her special feminine attributes, which con- 
cur in the great work of the perpetuation of 
the species. She is distinguished from man 
by her whole being, by her intellectual and 
moral as well as by her physical qualities. 

(15) 



16 A physician's counsels to WOMAN. 

"We shall proceed to answer in detail the 
question, "What makes woman ? 



Her Form. 

This is characteristic even at a very early 
age. A certain gracefulness of outline is 
everywhere observable. The bones are 
lighter and smaller than in the opposite 
sex. The collar-bone is longer and less 
curved. The lower limbs are set farther 
apart, from which results a peculiarity of 
gait. The hips are broader, so as to give a 
greater space to that band of bone which 
incloses the organs destined for maternity. 
These anatomical differences are shadowed 
forth even in early girlhood; they become 
more marked as the age of puberty draws 
nigh; and they are fully established at 
maturity. 

The muscular system is also less de- 
veloped in the girl than in the boy. Before 
any special exercise can create a difference, 
we find that with her the muscles are 
weaker, and not so prominent in outline. 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN". 17 

They are emblematic of the more peaceful 
and quiet life she is destined to lead. They 
are moulded, for the gentler exercises of the 
domestic circle — for grace, rather than 
strength of movement. 

This slighter development of the bones 
and muscles, and the absence of promi- 
nences, give to the form that roundness of 
contour which is one of the distinguishing 
features of female beauty. The curved lines 
are more numerous than the straight, and 
the general surface is undulating, in con- 
trast with masculine angularity. 

Her skin is more delicate, and has greater 
brilliancy and whiteness, than that of the 
other sex. Her hair also differs from his. 
It has greater length, and is preserved for 
a longer time, but is less generally diffused 
over the body. 

Her Height and Weight. 

The differences in height and weight be- 
tween the two sexes all through life are 

remarkable. This is always observed when 

2* 



18 a physician's counsels to woman. 

•the comparison is made between those of 
similar age, race, vigor, and general health. 

During her whole life, the woman has 
less height and weight than the man. This 
difference, very perceptible at all ages, is 
particularly marked about the age of twelve. 

At birth, the boy is on the average about 
half an inch longer than the girl, and weighs 
about two-thirds of a pound more. Adult 
men in the United States measure, on the 
average, five feet eight inches, and weigh 
one hundred and forty-five pounds; adult 
women average five feet two and a half 
inches, and weigh one hundred and twenty- 
five pounds. The disproportion in weight 
is greatest between the ages of twelve and 
forty. From forty to fifty, the two sexes 
approach each other more nearly in weight. 

Her Strength. 

At the outset, the little girl's strength is 
inferior to that of the boy of the same age. 
This difference increases after puberty. 
The comparison between the muscular 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 19 

powers of the two sexes has, after careful 
investigation, been represented by the 
figures 15 (for the boy before puberty) and 
10 (for the girl before puberty) ; and by 18 
(for the adult man) and 10 (for the adult 
woman). 

Her Pulse and Respiration. 

The female pulse is quicker, other things 
being equal, than the male. This differ- 
ence is found to exist eyen in the foetuses 
before birth, and furnishes a means, as we 
shall see later, of distinguishing the sex of 
the child in advance. At birth, however, 
and for a brief period after, the pulse of the 
boy is a beat or two the quicker. 

The manner in which the respiration 
is performed constitutes a notable and 
important difference between the sexes. 
"While he breathes mainly with the muscles 
of the abdomen, she breathes mainly with 
those of the upper portion of the chest. 
This peculiarity on her part furnishes a 
means for the expression of passion, which 
tragediennes are not apt to neglect. It 



20 A physician's counsels to woman. 

also enables her respiration to continue 
uninterrupted by the occurrence of preg- 
nancy. This latter consideration shows 
how the woman is modelled and prepared in 
advance for the performance of that mater- 
nal duty which is the supreme end of her 
physical being. 

Her Temperament. 

That agreeable French writer and physi- 
cian, R-oussel, has not hesitated to record 
the sanguine temperament, " the one which 
unites health and beauty in the highest 
degree of perfection to which human nature 
can attain," as the temperament particu- 
larly belonging to woman. It cannot be 
said, however, that there is & feminine tem- 
perament, as distinguished from the mascu- 
line temperament. We find in each of 
the sexes nearly the same liability to the 
predominance of the nervous, lymphatic, 
bilious, or sanguine temperament. 



i 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 21 

Her Disposition. 

It has been truthfully, though perhaps 
mischievously, said, that woman is more 
childlike than man. She preserves longer 
than he the physical, mental, and moral 
traits of childhood. In this we find the 
source of that grace which is one of her 
most charming and essentiaL attributes. 
We may trace this happy resemblance in a 
thousand ways : it is seen in the soft, un- 
decided lines of her form, which suggest 
the contour, without designating it ; in the 
sound of her voice, in which predominates 
a caressing grace of tone; in the smooth 
skin, which contrasts with the exuberance 
of the hair ; in the prominence of the nerv- 
ous functions ; in that exquisite sensibility, 
always quick of response ; in that force of 
emotion which is the glory and at the same 
time the martyrdom of woman; in the 
abundance of words and gestures; in the 
equal readiness of tears and laughter; in 
the mobility of the ideas and feelings ; and 
in the delicacy of the health. Although 



22 a physician's counsels to woman. 

the woman resembles more nearly the little 
girl than the man the little boy, she, as 
well as he, is complete in her own organi- 
zation ; there has been no arrest of develop- 
ment. 

Her Statistics of Life. 

The figures of the statisticians also point 
to the existence of a mysterious, natural 
difference between the male and the female 
life. There are more boys born than girls. 
Social arithmetic places the proportion at 
about one hundred and six to one hundred. 
That is to say, in about every sixteen births 
there is one more boy than girl. What is 
the reason of this law? It is necessary, 
in order to balance the greater ravages 
made by death in the ranks of men, exposed 
as they are to more causes of accident and 
disease, while the woman is protected in 
the seclusion of her domestic life. She 
suffers more," it is true ; but her health is 
better cared for, and she is less liable to 
die. If it were not for this law of excess 
in male births, tjie necessary relation be- 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 23 

tween the sexes would be disturbed by the 
greater male mortality. 

This greater male mortality is even per- 
ceptible in uterine life. More male foetuses 
are still-born than female. And the mor- 
tality continues to be much more consi- 
derable among boys than girls, especially 
during the first five years of infancy. The 
force which -resists death seems, therefore, 
to be more feeble in the male sex. 

Her Longevity. 

• 
The probable duration of life is consi- 
derably greater with the girl than the boy. 
At birth, the boy's expectation of life is 
thirty-three years and eight months; the 
girl's, thirty-seven years and two months. 
At five years of age, the boy's expectation 
of life is forty-two years and ten months ; 
the girl's, forty-five years and two months. 
The average duration of life is also 
greater with woman than with man. Thus, 
in France, where the records are kept with 
the utmost exactness, under governmental 



24 A physician's counsels to woman. 

surveillance, we find that between 1854 and 
1859 the average life for both sexes was 35 
years and 6 months: that of the women 
was 37 years and 2 months; that of the men, 
33 years and 8 months only. There are, at 
any given moment, in the population more 
women who are sexagenarians, octogena- 
rians, and centenarians than there are men 
of the same age. It is said that during one 
year (1868, we believe) France possessed 
only one male centenarian, while she had 
sixteen of the other sex. 

Her Health and Peculiar Diseases. 

Is the girl or the woman more apt to be 
sick than the boy or the man ? The ques- 
tion has been much discussed whether the 
female constitution is not radically weak. 
"Women are not constantly sick, as some 
have asserted. They are more susceptible 
to certain forms of illness, and they have a 
host of maladies peculiar to themselves, 
but the fact that they are not the serious 
invalids they have been assumed to be is 






WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 25 

shown by their greater longevity, as we 
have just seen. Still, there seems to be a 
contradiction here. How happens it that 
we find in the female constitution such 
general apparent feebleness, and a group of 
diseases unknown to the other sex, united 
with a longer life, a more energetic resist- 
ance to death? This has been accounted 
for in two ways. First, we have the 
greater protection thrown around the life 
and health of the woman by social customs. 
The perils of wine and of war she is not 
exposed to. The dangers by sea and by 
land to the traveller are less hers than his. 
The life of greater passion and anxiety 
which men lead induces exhaustive reac- 
tions. These greater trials and exposures 
of manhood are partly balanced by the 
perils of maternity which she incurs. The 
second preservative influence which ac- 
counts for her greater vitality is the pos- 
session of a more highly developed and 
more acute nervous system. Here we find 
another instance of nature's compensations. 
This nervous excitability, the cause of so 



26 A physician's counsels to woman. 

many pains, is an instrument of defence 
against many ills. 

One of the characteristics of female 
maladies is their liability to change their 
nature and seat. They do not fix them- 
selves nor entrench themselves so strongly 
behind any particular organ. They seem 
to be much more serious than they really 
are. 

"Women are less subject to certain fatal 
diseases than men. Among these are apo- 
plexy, aneurism, typhoid fever, and rheu- 
matism. On the other hand, the various 
convulsive and other nervous affections are 
more apt to attack her than the other sex. 
The same is true of scrofulous and tubercu- 
lar affections, with their long series of after- 
effects. 

Conclusions on the Distinction of the 
Sexes. 

Thus we have traced out, from the cradle, 
fundamental differences between the two 
sexes in regard to their structure, their 
physiology, their predispositions to disease. 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 27 

"We have found that the little girl as well 
as the mother is impregnated with femi- 
nity. She is not born, she does not live, 
she dies not, she is not sick, she feels not, 
thinks not, like her brother. She has her 
own anatomy, physiology, and habits of 
thought and feeling. She has also her own 
social destination, entirely distinct from 
that of the other sex. 

The next feature in her physiological life 
which demands our attention is that of 
puberty. It is necessary that every mother 
who desires to direct aright the physical 
education of her daughters shall know 
something of the perils and sanitary rules 
of this great epoch in their lives. 



PUBERTY. 

"We enter now upon the consideration of 
the preludes to maternity. It has been 
well said that the first steps the young girl 
takes in the painful way which conducts 
her to the joys of the mother are decisive 
for her future health. 

The approach to womanhood is a gradual 
one. Step by step the little girl separates 
herself more and more widely, in mind and 
body, from the boy, her companion. One 
by one many of the common points of 
resemblance between them disappear. Na- 
ture is preparing her for the destiny which 
awaits her. The hour finally comes when 
the maternal sense is awaked, and, hand 
in hand with a transformation of the moral 
nature, it brings to light a new physical 
function. 

The establishment of the monthly change, 
(28) 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN - . 29 

the expression of womanhood, is not, there- 
fore, a sudden one. It is announced from 
afar. An attentive eye can discern it in 
the distance. 



The Signs of Puberty. 

These are seen earliest in the outlines of 
the figure. The breasts, in particular, en- 
large, but a deposit of fat also takes place 
elsewhere under the skin, at first in the 
groins and then over the whole body. 

At the same time, if everything goes on 
well, the life-forces seem to arouse them- 
selves to increased activity and brilliancy; 
they brighten the complexion, animate the 
look, enrich the voice, and change the whole 
expression of the face. The tastes, the 
thoughts, and the disposition are modified. 
All these alterations take place in the midst 
of a disturbance of the nervous system 
more or less perceptible, and place the 
health in a condition of peculiar sensibility 
to any morbid influence which may attack 
it from without or from within the system. 

3* 



30 A physician's counsels to woman. 

It is well, therefore, for hygienic reasons, 
that every mother should be acquainted 
with the time, at least proximately, at which 
this physical change we call puberty may 
be expected. 

When it comes. 



The climate here has its influence, hasten- 
ing it when warm, retarding it when cold. 
JRace is even more powerful than climate, 
and often counterbalances or overrules its 
influence. Jewesses and Creoles mature 
early. So also do colored girls. City life 
has an effect, for it is well known that city 
girls are more precocious than their country 
neighbors. The temperament is another ele- 
ment to be considered. Blondes are later 
than brunettes ; the slight, dark-haired, 
and nervous girl develops sooner than 
her fat, fair, and phlegmatic sister. The 
growth, that is to say, the greater or less 
rapidity of corporeal development, is felt 
here, as might be expected. Those destined 
to become tall are later than those who 
will be short. The influence of the social 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 31 

condition,' of inheritance, and of education 
are all noticeable, and hasten or retard 

puberty. 

With us, the average age at which female 
puberty establishes itself is about fourteen 
and a half years. A departure of more 
than six months from this average is excep- 
tional, and may indicate some derangement 
of the health. Although it need not excite 
alarm, it should always call forth a watch- 
ful attention, and, if prolonged, medical 
supervision. 

Carefully prepared statistics show that 
the average age at which the first monthly 
sickness appears in South Asia is twelve 
years, ten months ; in Florence, Italy, four- 
teen years, six months; in Marseilles, 
France, thirteen years, seven months; in 
Paris, fourteen years, eleven months; in 
London, fourteen years, nine months; in 
Yienna, fifteen years, eight months; in 
Berlin, sixteen years, one month; in Copen- 
hagen, sixteen years, nine months. 

Instances are known to the medical pro- 
fession of the establishment of this function 



32 A physician's counsels to woman. 



late in life, and, on the other hand, of its 
very early appearance. Indeed, some have 
begun to be unwell in infancy, and even 
within the first month after birth. Such 
anomalies are of course very rare, and have 
no bearing upon the general laws of health. 
As a rule, a premature or retarded puberty 
may justly excite solicitude. 

Music has, in some cases, an undoubted 
influence in precipitating the change of 
puberty. The musical education of young 
girls ought, then, to be conducted with 
prudence. Although this effect of music 
has perhaps been exaggerated by some 
writers, it is not to be disregarded. Dr. 
Raciborski, the best living authority upon 
this subject, says, "In the case of the 
young daughters of nervous, hysterical 
mothers, the family physician, upon being 
consulted on the direction to be given to 
the education, will act prudently to counsel 
the parents not to push too far their mu- 
sical training." Particularly should this 
reserve be heeded if the girl be subject to 
nervous disorders, or be too profoundly im- 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 33 

pressed by the harmonies of sound. A 
careful mother, thus forewarned and watch- 
ful of the influence of music over her 
daughter, ought to be able to detect 
whether it be harmless or injurious. 

Other causes tend to bring about a pre- 
mature change in those exposed to them. 
They are found particularly in the cities, 
and account in a great measure for the dif- 
ference observed between the city and 
country maiden. We refer especially to 
late hours, to the fatigues of dancing- 
parties and theatrical amusements, to the 
excitements of novel-reading and of social 
pleasures, which are certain to stimulate 
unduly those of immature years. 

"We have said that the period of puberty 
is fraught with danger to the health; we 
will now speak more minutely of 

Its Perils. 

The gradual changes in the physical and 
mental organization, which have just en- 
gaged our attention, finally culminate in 



34 A physician's counsels TO "WOMAN. 

a loss of blood, of which the womb is 
the seat. This flooding, slight at first, 
and perhaps irregular, soon becomes more 
abundant, and, during a certain number of 
years, its regularity is necessary to, and is, 
so to speak, a sign of, the health. . 

This monthly change, being an expres- 
sion of health, ought to establish itself 
without any constitutional disturbance. 
Unfortunately, like the dentition of earlier 
life, it becomes the pretext for a thousand 
ills. It is a critical period of her exist- 
ence, this which transforms the girl into a 
woman. Many life-long miseries are the 
result of a want of assiduous care and in- 
telligent direction at this time. 

There are two classes of disorders to 
which the girl is now exposed, which de- 
mand our attention. One arises mainly 
from alterations in the blood, and results in 
what is known as green-sickness ; the other 
has its origin exclusively in the nervous 
system, and causes those numerous nerve 
troubles, the source of so much suffering, 
which darken many a woman's life — al- 



WHAT MAKES WOMAX. 35 

though they fail to call forth the sympathy 
habitually accorded to other affections. 

We do not intend to point out here the 
treatment in detail of these maladies. We 
wish now merely to say that the mother 
should be able to recognize these foes to 
her daughter's health, in order the better 
to repel their attacks and have repaired in 
time the injuries they inflict. 

Green-Sickness. 

This was long looked upon as merely an 
affection of the blood. It is now known 
that although the impoverishment of this 
fluid is the most prominent feature of the 
disorder, it has its origin in a faulty condi- 
tion of the nervous system. So that the 
division we have made of the affections 
which threaten puberty, into those of the 
blood and those of the nerves, is more ap- 
parent than real. It is the nervous system, 
primarily, which is out of equilibrium. 

Chlorosis, the term, meaning greenness, by 
which physicians designate this green-sick- 



.36 A physician's counsels to woman. 

ness, is not a malady which declares itself 
boldly at the outset. It loves rather to 
steal unobserved upon the system. A feel- 
ing of languor, a loss of appetite, a dislike 
for society, and a causeless depression of 
spirits, are the first signs of its presence. 
The complexion loses its color, and takes a 
waxen hue; the face is puffed; the softened 
muscles tremble on the least motion ; blue 
or lilac veins spread themselves under the 
now transparent skin ; the heart palpitates ; 
the breathing is short ; the appetite is gone; 
the digestion is imperfect; all the organs 
of the body, watered by a debased life-cur- 
rent, act slowly and with difficulty; the 
nervous organization alone is excited ; it is 
irritable, and the temper peevish ; shooting 
pains torment the body and limbs; and, 
finally, the material sign of that change 
which nature has made the pretext for these 
disturbances ceases to show itself. 

Have we not painted the picture in colors 
that all may recognize ? These symptoms 
are not, every one, present in all cases, and 
the affection may even mask itself under an 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 37 

apparent richness of the blood. The ap- 
pearance of constant lassitude, of palpita- 
tion of the heart, and, particularly, of short- 
ness of the breath on exertion, together with 
irregularity or scantiness of the monthly 
flow, ought to call the attention of the 
mother to the advisability of seeking medi- 
cal advice. She may obtain valuable in- 
formation as to the condition of the blood, 
by examining it in those parts where it cir- 
culates in very superficial vessels. Thus, 
the inner surface of the lower eyelid is rich 
in minute vessels, which readily indicate 
any impoverishment of the blood. So also 
pallor of the gums is an excellent indication 
of a poor condition of this fluid. The bright 
pink tint under the nails affords another 
very useful guide; if the surface here be 
pale, and if, at the same time, the blood 
returns slowly to the vessels after being 
repelled by strong pressure upon the nail, 
then there is positive poverty of the cir- 
culating fluid, which demands the prompt 
application of proper remedies. 

Why have we dwelt at some length upon 
4 



38 A physician's counsels to woman. 

these early signs of disease ? Because, we 
repeat, it is well to recognize green-sickness 
at its very origin, in order to institute treat- 
ment at the most favorable time. Not 
only so, but early recognization is also im- 
portant because there are two forms of this 
affection. One is the ordinary, transitory, 
curable form. The other, which is a con- 
sequence of the first, is chronic and obsti- 
nate. A young girl who suffers for several 
years with this malady, at the most critical 
epoch of her life, will retain forever after a 
tendency to a return of similar attacks. 

Hysteria. 

This affection is not entirely monopolized 
by the female sex. It is met with, though 
comparatively rarely, among men. The 
woman is said to be more than twenty times 
liable to its attack. One-half of the cases 
occur in girls about the age of puberty, i.e., 
between twelve and eighteen. Younger 
girls are not exempt from it, however, es- 
pecially in certain conditions of life and 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN". 39 

education. One-fourth of the cases occur, 
with them, under the age of twelve. These 
latter are nearly all the daughters of hys- 
terical mothers, for the effect of inheritance 
is very noticeable in this affection. It is 
relatively less frequent in the country, and 
more common in the larger cities than in 
the smaller, for obvious reasons. 

This disease of the nerves is, fortunately, 
quite amenable to treatment. It is often 
mistaken for other complaints, for it as- 
sumes a thousand forms, and thus may give 
rise to unnecessary alarm. If allowed long 
to continue its course unchecked, it may 
result in loss of mental power. 

In constitutions which are not sound, the 
inherited predispositions to disease are most 
apt to come to light about the age of four- 
teen or fifteen. Consumption, before only 
suspected, now fairly unmasks its dread fea- 
tures. White swelling and spinal disease 
are now also prone to declare themselves. 
Of what high moment, therefore, is it that 
the sanitary laws of this epoch of puberty 
should be known and observed ! More is to 



40 A physician's counsels to woman. 

be hoped from the benign influence of hy- 
giene of preventing the manifestations of 
disease, than from the skill of the physician 
or the shop of the apothecary in attempting 
their cure. 



The Hygiene of Puberty. 

To prevent the impoverishment of the 
blood, and to maintain the order and har- 
mony of the nervous functions, are the two 
prominent objects which, in the hygiene of 
puberty, should ever be kept in view. The 
nutrition of the body ought to be carefully 
looked after, and a most zealous watchful- 
ness brought to bear upon the suppression 
of any hereditary predispositions to disease, 
known or suspected to be lurking in the 
system. 

It must ever be borne in mind that the 
girl is passing through a great crisis in her 
physical career. She may not be sick, but 
she is very liable to become so. In the 
case of a delicate girl, it is well, on the first 
announcement of the expected change, to 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 41 

institute a kind of life in which her nervous 
sensibilities shall be as much as possible in 
repose, and her muscles as much as possible 
in motion. Life in the pure air of the 
country is desirable, if it can be procured. 
Voyages, in particular, are serviceable. 
They present a triple advantage. They 
benefit by the change of air, by the stimu- 
lus they give to the appetite, and by the 
diversions of the mind, which draw the 
thoughts away from self-contemplation. 
They also accelerate the appearance of the 
monthly change when it is delayed, as so 
frequently happens when there is delicacy 
of the constitution. Such a girl should not 
be permitted to study too much nor too 
long at a time ; she should not be exposed 
to the excitements of society, nor be too 
closely occupied with the cultivation of her 
musical talents. 

The food y above all, should be carefully 
looked after, now that the blood is so ready 
to become poor and watery. A diet which 
contains the most nourishment in the 
smallest bulk, is, without doubt, the most 

4* 



42 A physician's counsels to wostant. 

desirable. The girl should not be forced, 
however, to eat upon any theoretical prin- 
ciple of regimen. The taste is a better 
guide in matters of the table than abstract 
views upon sustenance; a piece of dry 
bread which is desired is more profitable 
to nutrition than a beefsteak against which 
the appetite revolts. Of course, full play 
should not be allowed to the depraved tastes 
which crave satisfaction. A girl should 
not be allowed to dine entirely upon pickles 
and green apples, however strongly she 
may wish to do so. What is wanted here 
is a liberty of choice wisely regulated, in 
view of the fact that while one is nourished 
by that which is digested, one is also nour- 
ished by that which is desired. 

Food should be plainly cooked and abun- 
dant. Many a girl suffers at this age from 
the want of nourishment. She does not 
eat enough. She does not eat what is pro- 
per. Fat meat, and, above all, milk, should 
enter largely into her bill of fare. A pro- 
minent writer upon consumption accords 
to the free use of milk, as an article of 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 43 

daily food at this time, a most active agency 
in the prevention of consumption. "We 
desire to urge, clearly and emphatically, 
npon parents, the importance of this advice. 
This fluid, so rich in nutritive elements, 
and so easy of digestion, is of incalculable 
value. 

The measures above mentioned for en- 
riching the blood are also of service in 
maintaining that order and harmony of the 
nervous functions which we have declared 
to be the second great object in the sanitary 
regulation of puberty. It has been said 
by one of the closest observers who ever 
adorned the medical profession, the great 
English physician, Sydenham, that the blood 
is the moderator of the nerves. Many a neu- 
ralgic pain is merely the cry of the nerve 
for healthy blood. When, therefore, we 
speak of the means best calculated to pre- 
serve or restore the normal condition of the 
blood, we at the same time designate those 
which will preserve or restore the health 
of the nervous system. 

Beside these two general directions which 



44 A physician's counsels to woman. 



should be given to the hygiene of puberty, 
we would call attention to a special precau- 
tion. Among the maladies to which we 
have alluded, which lie, in some mysterious 
manner, hidden in the system up to this 
time, and then suddenly leap forth into 
being, is consumption. It has been asserted 
that this disease, more common with women 
than men, as statistics show, owes this 
peculiarity to the greater facility which the 
disturbance of the health at the period of 
puberty offers to its development in the 
girl. The seeds of the disease are sown 
equally at birth between the two sexes, but 
germinate and bear their deadly fruit more 
generally, on the account just mentioned, 
in the female than in the male organism. 
And the danger is all the greater with her, 
because its earliest signs are mistaken for 
merely a derangement of the menstrual 
function. "When, in particular, the disease 
has found a lodgement in the family, the 
closest scrutiny upon the health should be 
exercised, and no time lost, upon the first 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 45 

appearance of danger, in seeking competent 
medical advice. 

In regard to clothing, the girl, at this 
period, should be dressed with prudence, so 
as to support, without inconvenience, slight 
changes of temperature. For this reason, 
either silk or wool should always be worn, 
and, preferably, next the skin, in order to 
excite by its contact the circulation of the 
surface and absorb the perspiration. 

From the days of the Greeks and Romans 
of ancient times until now, doctors have 
agreed in decrying the employment of the 
corset "What has been the result? Its use 
has become general. The corset proper 
was said to have been introduced into 
France by Catherine de Medicis, whence it 
has found its way throughout the whole 
female world. The Greek and Roman 
women wore an instrument which fulfilled 
the office of a corset. It would be in vain, 
therefore, for us, with any hope of being 
heard, to raise our voice against its use. 
May we not hope for some heedful attention 
when we confine ourselves to its abuse? 



46 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 



In early womanhood, above all, the corset 
should be well made, and never exercise 
more than a very light compression. It is 
never to he regarded as an instrument to 
improve the form. It is this foolish, this 
hurtful abuse of the corset which we em- 
phatically denounce, in the name both of 
health and of beauty. It directly prejudices 
the former, first, by injuring the digestion, 
and consequently the nutrition of the body at 
this time, when, of all others, the digestive 
organs are intended to render the greatest 
and most durable service; secondly, by 
interfering with the free play of the lungs, 
and thus inviting disease there, particularly 
if there be a tendency to consumption; 
thirdly, by exerting a downward pressure 
upon the abdomen, thus giving rise to 
womb-disease, and a host of sufferings con- 
nected with child-bearing. The marring 
effects of the tight-fitting corset upon 
beauty are no less marked than upon the 
health. It arrests the development of the 
breasts, and renders forever impossible a 
perfect bust ; it deforms the shoulders, by 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 47 

pressing upwards the shoulder-blades be- 
hind and the collar-bone in front ; it makes 
the complexion muddy and drives the color 
from the lips and cheeks, by preventing the 
proper aeration of the blood in the lungs. 
The close-fitting corset has much to answer 
for. It has destroyed, and we fear will con- 
tinue to destroy, the health and beauty of 
many a maiden. In view of these well- 
known facts, it seems incredible that there 
should be mothers who not only countenance, 
but command, tight-lacing in their daugh- 
ters. Yet such is the case. . "We copy the 
following letter from the columns of a recent 
number of an influential Ladies' Magazine 
of large circulation: — 

" About a fortnight ago, I informed my 
daughter that it was my wish that she should 
not unlace her corsets on retiring to rest. 
To my great regret, I found that she had 
been reading some of the nonsensical tirades 
against tight-lacing, in some of the papers, 
and has become impressed with the idea 
that being made to wear properly laced cor- 
sets was equivalent to being condemned to 



48 A physician's counsels to woman. 



death by slow torture. On my telling her, 
the other night, that T was dissatisfied with 
her figure, and of my resolve that she should 
adopt the measures I mentioned, she de- 
clared she could never endure it, and, I am 
sorry to say, showed a very rebellious spirit. 
However, she wore them the first night, 
after much protestation ; but on the second, 
I found she had taken them off after I had 
retired to rest. I then took the precaution 
of fastening the lace in a knot at the top of 
the lace-holes, and, for a night or two, this 
had the desired effect; but she was not long 
before she cut the stay lace. I have punished 
her somewhat severely for her disobedience, 
but she declares she will brave any punish- 
ment rather than submit to the discipline of 
the corset. She is- now fourteen, has a very 
strong constitution, and is in perfect health. 
She does not complain that the tight-lacing 
makes her feel ill — did she do so, her ap- 
pearance would contradict her. Her only 
objection is, that the corsets are uncomfort- 
able, and prevent her from romping about 
as she has been accustomed to do. My 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 49 

object in writing now is to ask if any of 
your readers will kindly give me their ad- 
vice in this matter, as I cannot allow my 
daughter to gain the mastery. Perhaps 
some lady or principal of a school would 
kindly inform me what method she has 
adopted in similar cases, and what is the 
best way of preventing a girl from destroy- 
ing her laces or stays when out of sight of 
her mother or governess, ^f any one will 
do so, she will confer a great favor." 

Comment upon such a letter is unneces- 
sary. "We merely call attention again to 
the fact that, it is extracted from a recent 
number of a ladies' fashion journal. "Who 
will deliver our American women from the 
heavy yoke of fashion, and break the chains 
which force them to sacrifice health and all 
the noble attributes of real personal beauty 
to the behests of false notions and perverted 
tastes ? "We believe that the fatal follies of 
fashion have their origin in ignorance, the 
wide- spread ignorance which prevails, both 
of the laws of health and of comeliness. 
We consider that there is no more impera- 

5 



50 A physician's counsels to woman. 



tive duty than that which devolves upon 
popularity giene to point out the inter-relation 
of health and beauty, and to indicate those 
means by which they may be cultivated and 
preserved. -In the face of the letter just 
quoted, who "will gainsay us? 



THE HIDDEN SIN. 

The improvement in woman's health and 
comfort, which it is our Hope to accomplish 
by means of this work, would be incom- 
pletely gained, did we omit referring to one 
cause of ill-health, which we would gladly 
pass in silence. But the recent investiga- 
tions of men eminent in the study of that 
special branch of medical science which oc- 
cupies itself with woman and her diseases, 
seem to show beyond doubt that in many 
instances a long course of nervous debility, 
with its host of attendant symptoms, can be 
traced to a practice which was commenced 
in youth, in ignorance of its baneful effects. 
We refer to artificial excitement of the 
sexual feelings. 

Most frequently what prompts to this is 
not sensuality, but some local irritation. It 

(51) 



52 A physician's counsels to woman. 



is not uncommon for young girls to suffer 
with severe itching of the parts, sometimes 
by a slight disease of the skin, frequently 
"by the presence of worms in the lower 
bowels, and occasionally by an irregular 
growth of the hair. "Whatever the cause 
may be, it leads to a scratching or rubbing 
of the part, by which the sensations of plea- 
sure are awakened and, to some extent, 
satisfied ; consequently what at first was 
resorted to for the purpose of allaying a 
local irritation, soon becomes attractive by 
the sensations it evokes, and in proportion 
to these are its danger and injury. 

The results of such frequent unnatural 
excitement are soon visible in a general 
disturbance of the system, a failure of the 
digestive powers, a change in the mental 
character, and sometimes troublesome local 
disease. 

Strange as it may seem at first sight, this 
habit does not lead a young woman into 
profligacy. On the contrary, it seems to 
create a repugnance to and a want of 
sensation in the natural function. The 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 53 

nerves of the part no longer respond to the 
proper stimulus, but require for their excita- 
tion the accustomed unnatural means. "We 
have known women given to this practice 
who confessed that in marriage they were 
astonished to find no pleasure; and their 
husbands were amazed at their coldness. 

"Were this all, we should not have thought 
it worth while to have trenched upon the 
theme. But the more serious dangers to 
the general nutrition, and consequently to 
health and life, which follow also, render 
it of first importance that mothers and 
teachers who have the control and govern- 
ment of young girls should be aware of the 
need of watching narrowly their charges, 
and of taking prompt measures to heal or 
remove any cause of local irritation. "When 
the practice is known, it is unwise to 
frighten or shame the girl in order to break 
it. Rather remove the provocation to ex- 
citement, and by frequent cold bathing, in- 
creased exercise, moderate statements of the 
dangers connected with such habits, and a 
judicious enlightenment of her mind, seek 



54 A physician's counsels TO "WOMAN. 

to instil the force of will necessary to break 
it up. Thus we may expect to retain her 
confidence, not wound her feelings, and lead 
her to self-reformation. 



THE MONTHLY CHANGE. 

"What is the meaning of this new func- 
tion, which establishes itself at puberty, and 
which holds ever after so prominent a place 
in the female organism ? "Why should this 
monthly flow of blood make its appearance 
for the first time at the age when the woman 
begins to be capable of maternity, and cease 
when the faculty of reproduction is extinct? 

From the earliest times, and in all coun- 
tries, physiologists have observed a relation 
between this monthly recurring sickness 
and generative power in woman. They 
propounded many theories to account for 
this relation; they wrote many books to 
support their own and to refute opposing 
doctrines. It would be contrary to the ob- 
ject of this work, which is to give a brief 
exposition of some of the most important 
principles of hygiene, to enter into a history 

(55) 



56 A PHYSICIAN'S counsels to woman. 

of these ancient theories, even if we had 
the space to spare. One, however, deserves 
mention, as being curious in itself, and as 
having been urged by that learned physician 
and most pleasing writer, Dr. Koussel. He 
asserts that the monthly flow is not natural 
to woman ; it is an acquired function, and 
continued by habit. He declares it does not 
exist in the savage or primitive condition of 
humanity, but is a salutary provision of na- 
ture to protect the woman, by this periodical 
blood-letting, against the excesses of the 
table and the other indulgences of civiliza- 
tion! 

It has only been within the last quarter 
of a century that the diligent efforts of ana- 
tomists and physiologists have determined 
the signification of this singular phenome- 
non. Science now enables us to fully ex- 
plain. 

Its Nature. 

In every mature woman there occurs, 
once a month, the passage of an ovum (the 
Latin word for egg) from the ovaries to the 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. . 57 

womb. The ovaries are two almond-shaped 
organs, one on either side of the womb, to 
which each of them is connected by a small 
tube about four inches long. The conges- 
tion, the engorgement of the parts with 
blood during the monthly passage of the 
ovum, causes a rupture of the minute ves- 
sels, and the monthly flow. This ovum is 
the germ of the man, for the human being, 
like all others, starts from an egg. Ordi- 
narily, it is lost in the menstrual flow. If, 
however, it be impregnated and fixed in the 
womb, the woman is said to have conceived. 
We are not writing a treatise upon ana- 
tomy, nor even upon physiology. No good 
can result from a vague knowledge upon 
these points. It can make no woman a 
better wife or mother. It cannot assist her 
to preserve her own health or that of her 
daughter. Anatomical descriptions of the 
characters we refer to are only useful to 
the physician and surgeon, who need to 
thoroughly know the human frame. They 
are only proper in medical text-books. 
They should be rigidly excluded, as useless 



58 A physician's counsels to woman. 

and hurtful, from all popular treatises. 
"We make this digression to explain why 
we have here, and elsewhere in this book, 
said so much and no more upon structure 
and physiology. "We only introduce what 
is necessary to enable the reader to follow 
us in our familiar converse upon hygiene 
and treatment. No one need be an ana- 
tomist to become a sanitarian. It is not a 
knowledge of anatomy that American wives 
and mothers require to fit them for mater- 
nity and the physical education of their 
children. But they do require more know- 
ledge than, we are sure, they possess, of the 
hygiene of puberty, of pregnancy, and of 
early infancy, and of the prevention and 
treatment of the complaints peculiar to 
themselves. And it is this useful know- 
ledge (is there any more so?) which it is 
our sole purpose, accurately and concisely, 
to record. 

Some information in regard to the cause 
and nature of the monthly illness seemed 
to be a necessary introduction to an intel- 
ligent perusal of its sanitary laws. We 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 59 

have therefore briefly stated thus much of 
its physiology, and shall next consider 



Its Duration and Amount. 

The length of time during which the dis- 
charge lasts varies with the temperament, 
age, habit, and race. The same is true of 
the amount of blood lost. No narrow 
limits of health can be denned. Every 
woman is a law unto herself. If she varies 
widely, at any time, from that which has 
been her habit, something is wrong. "With 
American women, the average time may be 
said be to somewhat over four davs, the 
average amount four or five ounces. Some 
are sick only two days, others as long as 
six. These are, however, ordinarily, the 
extreme limits of health. 

Alterations in the general health influ- 
ence both the duration and the amount of 
the monthly illness. Impoverishment of 
the blood is frequently associated with a 
too copious discharge, which in turn reacts 
to render the blood still more watery, The 



60 A PHYSICTAX'S COUNSELS TO WQMAX, 

most common cause of excessive menstrua- 
tion, in those who have had children, is 
some inflammation of the womb. Before 
marriage, on the contrary, the cause is 
generally to he found in some general dis- 
order in the economy. Although such 
increased flows are rarely dangerous in 
themselves, they may become so if they are 
many times repeated ; for they then induce 
that chlorosis of which vre spoke in the 
previous chapter, and may bring in their 
train many other maladies. It is particu- 
larly to be remarked, that the first monthly 
sickness after confinement, or after a mis- 
carriage, is liable to be prolonged and 
copious. Every mother should bear this in 
mind, vrith the view to precautionary mea- 
sures. Xo long journey is then, on this 
account, proper until after the first period 
is passed. 

Its Hygiene. 

The monthly sickness is very liable to 
derangement, in time, duration, amount, 
and pain. This is particularly true in early 



WHAT MAKES WOMAIS". 61 

womanhood, before the function has ob- 
tained from the economy an acknowledg- 
ment, as it were, of its rights. Constant 
watchfulness and sedulous care are there- 
fore necessary at the outset, for if irregu- 
larities be allowed to fix themselves, they 
will, very likely, remain during the whole 
duration of the maternal life of the woman. 
If, on the contrary, regularity be early 
established, it is not afterward readily lost. 

The causes which may derange this 
function are various. One, the bad con- 
dition of the blood, resulting from a defect- 
ive hygiene, has been referred to. Any 
debasement of the health, either from the 
gradual development of some constitutional 
disease, or in consequence of the breaking 
down of the life forces by an acute affection 
or depressing passion, will injuriously 
affect the monthly change. So also, while 
unwell, will strong mental emotion, or the 
exposure of a part of the body to the action 
of cold, as when the hands or feet are im- 
mersed in cold water. 

It is not uncommon — two instances have 

6 



62 A physician's counsels to woman. 

recently occurred in our own practice — for 
young girls, ignorant of the danger they 
run, to seek to check the flow of blood, 
which is inconvenient or repugnant to 
them, as soon as it appears. Fortunately, 
they frequently fail in these attempts; in 
other instances the consequences are pro- 
longed and serious. Mothers should bear 
in mind the possibility of this practice, and 
exercise proper surveillance. 

In those cases in which the menses have 
appeared with entire regularity from the 
time of their first eruption, nothing more 
than ordinary prudence will be required to 
maintain the health. On the first appear- 
ance of a tendency to irregularity, pre- 
cautionary measures should at once be 
taken. Confinement to a room with a uni- 
form temperature, and repose on a lounge, 
or even in the bed, are necessary. At the 
same time, mild means may be employed, 
to provoke the discharge if it be delayed, 
to augment it if it be deficient, or to palliate 
the pain if it be accompanied by undue 
suffering. For these purposes, the remedies 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 63 

familiar in almost every household are ap- 
propriate, such as hot mustard foot-baths, 
warm, stimulating, aromatic drinks, etc. 
They, however, should soon be abandoned, 
and medical counsel sought, if they have 
not the desired effect. 

In regard to the use of baths during the 
menstrual flow, there is much prejudice. 
Without doubt, a cold bath, say below 77° 
Fahrenheit, will arrest the discharge. 
"Without doubt, also, a hot bath, say above 
95° Fahrenheit, will increase it. But a 
lukewarm bath, say from 86° to 91° Fahren- 
heit, will not affect it. It has been recom- 
mended by the highest authority on this 
subject, by M. Raciborski, that those who 
are nervous, and with whom the flow comes 
spasmodically, and readily stops altogether 
under the influence of any slight emotion, 
should employ lukewarm baths (86° to 91° 
Fahrenheit) during their periods. They 
will find in them a valuable resource for 
regulating the function. He has never 
seen the least injury to result from their 
use. The fear of provoking an attack of 



64: A physician's counsels to woman. 



flooding, or of checking the flow, is there- 
fore chimerical. 

There are two changes in their mode of 
life to which young girls are exposed, which 
frequently derange their health. One is 
the removal to a boarding-school. It is 
well known that the pupils of these institu- 
tions suffer more from irregularity than 
those who remain in the family circle. The 
often unwelcome change of scene, the new 
and agitating surroundings, the feeling of 
home-sickness, the absence of .that confi- 
dence which-leads the daughter to inform 
the mother of the least disorder, which she 
carefully hides from a stranger, and the 
closer mental application, are among the 
reasons which may explain this fact. 

The second condition is a removal from 
the country to the city. Life in the great 
cities is not favorable to female health at 
any age. The vitiation of the air accounts 
for this in part, but there is another cause, 
partly moral and partly physical. It is the 
constant noise, which shakes the nervous 
system, disturbs the sleep, and engenders a 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 65 

habit of nervous irritability in some women. 
These effects are, of course, most marked 
upon one accustomed to a country life, and, 
above all, upon one who has just passed the 
age of puberty. 



NUBILITY. 



It is necessary here to draw a broad dis- 
tinction between nubility and puberty. To 
believe that a woman is properly marriage- 
able on the day that the first expressive 
sign of womanhood manifests itself, is to 
commit a grave physiological error. It is 
to confonnd a preliminary, an imperfect 
function, with one that has arrived at its 
full development. True maturity, which is 
known under the name of nubility, differs 
from puberty. The power should exist 
some time before it is exercised. The indi- 
vidual should be fully developed herself 
before assuming the duties of reproduction. 
The signs of puberty do not imply an 
aptitude for marriage; the possibility of 
conception does not prove the presence of 
all the conditions desirable for maternity. 
"We have considered, in the previous chap- 
ters, the nature and period of puberty; we 
(66) 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 67 

will now study the nature and period of 
nubility. First, as to 

Its Period. 

The attainment of the full growth, indi- 
cated by the stationary height, and the 
entire development of the bony system, 
occurs about the age of eighteen years, with 
the woman. She should never marry earlier 
than this. Hygiene teaches that she had 
better not marry so soon. It names twenty 
as the youngest age at which the maid 
ought to become a bride. An earlier union 
than this is against the interests of the 
offspring, who are apt to lack vigor and 
vitality, and it is injurious to the health of 
the young wife. 

We shall more fully treat of the proper 
age of the wife, and the relative age of the 
couple, under the head of 

The Laws of Marriage. 

Marriage has been honored in all times 
and by all people, and its physical and 



68 A physician's counsels to woman. 



moral laws earnestly studied. Celibates 
haye always been badly treated. "With the 
Romans, for a long time, they were not 
admitted as witnesses. The Spartans had 
a festival specially designed for the casti- 
gation of the bachelors by the wives of 
their fellow-citizens, in a public place. In 
Germany, the unmarried men were unable 
to will their property, which, after death, 
belonged, by law, to the State. The Chi- 
nese, Hindoos, and Persians married their 
children who were still-born, in order 
that their souls might not be obliged to 
wander on the earth in expiation of their 
celibacy. 

As marriage is certainly one of the most 
grave, if not the gravest act in life, its laws 
deserve study. This is the more import- 
ant, as, in modern times, great individual 
freedom of choice is very properly allowed. 
Ancient legislators were so impressed with 
the dangers to the public health of badly 
assorted unions, that they passed numerous 
edicts on the subject. These were fre- 
quently ill-advised, and necessarily exer- 



WHAT MAKES "WOMAN". 69 

cised an unsupportable tyranny over the 
individual and family, in this, the most 
sacred act of life. Modern legislators, more 
wisely, have accorded greater freedom. 
Although they have not given absolute 
liberty, they have confined themselves to 
legislation in regard to age and relation- 
ship. Hence, as we have said, the neces- 
sity for a wide diffusion of a correct know- 
ledge of the laws of hygiene in relation to 
the physical conditions of marriage and of 
child-birth. The effects of ignorance are 
as lamentable as, unfortunately, they are 
frequent. 

The Age of Marriage. 

The age at which marriage is contracted 
has such an evident influence on the health 
of the offspring, that the laws of all States 
always have, ancj still continue, in the in- 
terests of public hygiene and morality, to 
lay down certain legal limits, outside of 
which it is forbidden. It belongs to the 
science of medicine, however, to inform the 



70 A physician's counsels to woman. 



families of the land of the serious incon- 
veniences which would result from availing 
themselves of the full latitude accorded to 
them by the laws of their country. 

This subject has been one which has 
long occupied the attention of political 
economists and of moralists, as well as of 
physicians and statesmen. The first class 
have considered the question in its relation 
to population and subsistence ; the second, 
in its relation to morals ; the, last two, in 
its relation to hygiene and the constitution 
and vigor of the people. Although we are 
properly occupied only with sanitary con- 
siderations, it may not be without interest 
or instruction to briefly state the views of 
prominent economists and moralists on the 
age at which one ought to marry. 

Many economists, following the teach- 
ings of Malthas, have sought to postpone 
as long as possible the epoch of marriage, 
with both sexes. This famous writer on 
political economy asserted that statistics 
show that the population doubles itself 
about once in every twenty-five years, in- 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 71 

creasing, in this manner, in a geometrical 
proportion represented by the figures 1, 2, 
4, 8, 16, etc. ; whilst the means of subsist- 
ence, even by the aid of every possible 
improvement in the agricultural arts, can 
only increase, in the same space of time, in 
an arithmetical proportion represented by 
the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. According to 
this calculation, a hundred acres of the 
most productive land, which, at the pre- 
sent time, suffices for the support of one 
hundred persons, would be capable of pro- 
ducing, three hundred years from now, only 
sufficient subsistence for twelve hundred 
persons ; while, in the same space of time, 
the progeny of these one hundred persons 
would reach four hundred and nine thou- 
sand six hundred. A sad perspective of 
inevitable famine ! For this reason a post- 
ponement of the age of marriage was one 
of the means suggested by writers of the 
school of Malthus to avoid the misery re- 
sulting from a too rapid growth of popula- 
tion. 

On the contrary, many writers on moral 



72 A physician's counsels to woman. 

science have earnestly advocated the be- 
trothal of every young woman and man 
immediately upon attaining the age of 
puberty, and marriage so soon afterwards 
as was practicable — the sooner, they say, 
the better. This practice, they assert, 
would improve the public morals, by in- 
spiring sentiments of virtuous attachment. 

The civil laws of all countries have, as 
we have said, fixed the lowest limit of age. 
This has always been, for the woman, the 
average age at which puberty announces 
itself. This age we already know; the 
figures are given for various countries, in 
the previous chapter on puberty. 

Let us listen now to the voice of hygiene, 
the only safe mentor in this matter. Ame- 
rican, English, and French medical writers 
all agree that the best age for the bride, 
the safest for herself and for her children, 
is between the years of twenty and twenty- 
five. This is the interval in the life of the 
woman in which nature clearly destines her 
to become a wife. 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 73 

The Dangers of Early Matrimony*. 

Precocious nuptials, on either side, are 
injurious to the children ; but a too youth- 
ful mother is more apt to have puny, ill-de- 
veloped children than a too youthful father, 
for the reason that her part in the forma- 
tion of the new being is more important 
and more prolonged than his. Precocity 
in marriage is also more dangerous for the 
woman than the man, not only because of 
the perils of child-birth, which are greater, 
other things being equal, in proportion as 
her development is incomplete, but also 
because of the obstacle opposed to the per- 
fection of her own organism by the neces- 
sity of furnishing materials for the growth 
of her offspring. It is desirable that these 
facts should be known, for women are more 
apt to marry too early than men. 

Another consequence of a premature 
union is the liability to a miscarriage. The 
fruit of the first conception is lost. Many 
a young wife has sacrificed her first-born 
through ignorance of this pitiless law. Let 

7 



74: A physician's counsels to woman. 



every mother who sanctions the marriage 
of her daughter of sixteen or seventeen, 
know that this tribute of violated law, 
which recalls the bloody sacrifices of the 
ancients, will be exacted, and let her weigh 
well the risks and responsibility she incurs. 

We shall content ourselves with naming 
only three other sad results of early matri- 
mony. One is the danger that wives under 
twenty will be barren. This is probably in 
consequence of the habit of miscarriage 
which is set up. The second is the opposite 
danger of excessive child-bearing, for sta- 
tistics indicate clearly that this is one of 
the causes of over-production. The third 
is the greater mortality among the children 
of such premature unions. 

Need we add any other considerations to 
these physical laws we have mentioned? 
If so, we may say, in favor of postponing 
the period of marriage until after the twen- 
tieth birthday, that more time is thus given 
the young girl to acquire experience and 
knowledge of the world, without which she 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN 75 

will rarely be happy in her choice of a hus- 
band. 

"We marry our daughters so young," 
says Madame de Remus at, " that they have 
not had, really, time to look about them. 
If received customs could be suddenly 
broken, and nature consulted, I believe 
that the age of twenty-five years would 
be that which she would prescribe for the 
marriage of our maidens ; but our habits 
are opposed to such an abrupt transition. 
At least, the bride should have passed her 
twentieth year, and even then have had 
nothing spared to hasten the maturity of 
her reason." 



The Dangers of Late Matrimony. 

Modern legislation has fixed the mini- 
mum limit of age for matrimony, but has 
refrained from framing any laws against 
late marriages. This prudence has been 
aptly characterized as a homage rendered 
to the moral character of marriage, and to 
the liberty which should be accorded to 



76 A physician's counsels to woman. 



those who, from other motives than the 
formation of a family, seek in a late union 
the consolations of a life in common, and 
the advantages of reciprocal assistance. 

We have merely to say, in this connec- 
tion, that with those who marry after thirty 
the perils which attend maternity are 
greater than with their happier sisters, the 
brides of between twenty and twenty-five. 

"We shall recur to this subject when we 
come to speak of discordant marriages, i. e., 
of unions in which there is a great differ- 
ence in the ages of husband and wife, which 
will be in the chapter devoted to " The 
Preliminaries of Marriage." 



THE SINGLE LIFE. 

She who aims at something better than 
the destiny of the wife and mother, which 
the critical Iago defined to be 

" To suckle fools and chronicle small beer," 

may believe that in a single life she will 
find greater scope for ability, a more un- 
trammelled sphere of action, and a larger 
world wherein to move. She may also 
think that she will escape the misery of a 
loveless union, or an unharmonious consort ; 
that she will not be exposed to the agonies 
of the travailing woman, nor the sleepless 
nights of the anxious mother ; that she will 
never know the bitterness of the widow's 
weeds, nor the anguish of her who mourns 
for her children and will not be comforted 
because they are not. 

This and more may be true ; we do not 
gainsay it. But we do say, that a boun- 

?* ( 77 ) 



78 A physician's counsels to woman. 

teous Providence is ever rich in recom- 
penses, and gives most to those who suffer 
most. Is it not even a law of business life 
that those who risk little, gain little ; those 
who venture nothing, win nothing ? So in 
woman's life, she who allows her fears of 
matronly responsibilities to overcome the 
natural promptings of her heart, may find 
too late that with the husks she has also 
thrown away the richest grain. 

Nor from the point of view of mere bodily 
comfort does she always gain. It is some- 
thing to have a care-taker and protector, 
even if he be not just what we would have 
him. The trials of domestic life are re- 
ceived, as well as given ; if she has children, 
and rears them as she should, their strength 
will support her when age has weakened 
her own powers. The physical discomfort 
she meets as wife and mother is balanced 
by. physical pleasure, and the sense of duty 
fulfilled. 

Then the single woman has her own 
trials to meet, and often has to meet them 
alone. She finds this loneliness oppressive; 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 79 

she sees enjoyments in which she has no 
share; as she grows in years, she misses 
the attentions which were the free-will of- 
ferings to yonth and beauty, and, naturally, 
she feels little love for the world which 
loves her so little. Hence that asperity 
which proverbially characterizes the spin- 
ster, and hence the unpopularity with which 
she is so frequently regarded by her young 
relatives. 

Speaking medically, she has tendencies 
to certain diseases, especially mental ones, 
to a greater extent than her married sisters. 
She is more exposed to disturbances of the 
digestive functions, and is hardly less liable 
to direct displacements of the womb. 

Marriage, it must be remembered, is, in 
many instances, a directly sanitary mea- 
sure. It remedies complaints of long 
standing, and often restores debilitated 
health. It is, as a distinguished London 
physician remarks, a tonic, and one of the 
very best tonics. It generally proves itself 
to be such both to the mental and physical 
constitution. 



80 A physician's counsels to woman. 



So, in spite of the seeming escape from a 
variety of ills, which the single woman 
makes, it is a fallacious escape, and, as of- 
ten as otherwise, leads her into a mode of 
life really more depressing and nnsalutary 
than that which she aims to avoid. 



THE CHANGE OF LIFE. 

After a certain number of years, the 
woman is no longer capable of becoming a 
mother. The monthly sign of her maternal 
powers disappears, and with it the faculty 
of reproduction. This period of her life is 
known under various names. Physicians 
call it the menopause; French writers speak 
of it as the critical age {age critique}, the 
climacteric age (age climaterique), and the 
age of decline (age de retour) ; but the ordi- 
nary term employed in our country to de- 
signate it is the change of life. 

"We shall occupy ourselves first with the 
question of the age at which this change 
takes place, and then with its signs, its 
effects upon the health, and the cares which 
it requires. 

(81) 



82 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The Age of Decline. 

The age at which the reproductive period 
of woman's life ends, varies, as we found 
was the case with its beginning, under the 
influence of temperament, mode of life, and 
particularly of climate. Still, there is a 
certain uniformity in the length of time 
which separates the first from the last 
physical sign of womanhood. The majority 
of women are destined for reproduction 
during about thirty years of their lives. 
This seems to be true of all climates, so far 
as reliable statistics have been collected. In 
those countries in which the age of puberty 
comes early, the age of decline comes early 
also; while in those in which a late puberty 
is the rule, the women retain, as a compen- 
sation of nature, their maternal powers later 
in life. 

In our own country, the age of forty-five 
or six may be said to be the average one 
for the cessation of the menstrual life. 
Not uncommonly, however, it occurs five 
years earlier than this ; less frequently, five 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN - . 83 

years later. Instances are not unusual of 
its postponement to the sixtieth year ; yery 
exceptionally it has been noticed as early 
as the thirtieth or even the twenty-eighth 
year. 

Its Signs. 

Sometimes the first announcement of the 
change of life surprises the woman in the 
midst of such vigorous health, that she may 
well entertain doubts as to the cause of the 
suppression she observes, and should exer- 
cise the greatest circumspection. It would 
be well for her, under such circumstances, 
to seek the counsel of the family physician. 
A commencing pregnancy or an accidental 
interruption is often mistaken for the na- 
tural cessation. Hence the importance of 
always avoiding any disturbing remedies, 
and of waiting patiently until time shall 
confirm or set aside all hopes. 

In general, the signs of the natural sup- 
pression of the monthly sickness are a 
gradual diminution in the hemorrhage, and 
the appearance of irregularity in the periods 



84 A physician's counsels to woman. 



and in the amount. Sometimes two, three, 
six, or even more months pass without any 
show; then a flooding, of greater or less 
severity, occurs. This may happen, again 
and again, over a space of several years. 
It is rare that the monthly periods continue 
regular to the last, and then quietly disap- 
pear forever. Often the disturbance is so 
great as to give rise to the fear that there is 
some disease of the womb. Happily, with 
proper attention, this usually readily sub- 
sides, and the general health suffers no per- 
manent injury. 

There are other physical signs which 
accompany this change, beside the cessa- 
tion of the monthly illness. One is an 
increase in size and weight. This tendency 
to corpulency first shows itself by an accu- 
mulation of fat at the lower part of the 
back of the neck. Two distinct promi- 
nences ordinarily appear here, directly over 
the lower bones of the neck, known to 
anatomists as the two lower cervical ver- 
tebra. In speaking of the age of puberty, 
we mentioned the deposit of fat which then 



WHAT MAKES WOMAK. 85 

took place, commencing first in the loins. 
Hence we find that both the periods of the 
birth and of the extinction of the reproduc- 
tive powers are marked by an inclination to 
grow stout, more decided, however, at the 
latter period than the former. 

The breasts, which increased in volume 
on the advent of puberty, now, their work 
being done, dwindle away. The limbs also 
lose that roundness of outline which they 
acquired in early womanhood. The woman 
becomes more like the man, often even to 
the extent of taking a beard. The abdo- 
men enlarges, and gives rise, perhaps, to 
the suspicion of pregnancy. The skin 
loses its softness and suppleness, wrinkles 
appear in the face and neck. The com- 
plexion fades to a pale yellow hue, which 
encroaches upon and finally extinguishes 
the rose-tints of youth. 



Its Diseases. 

These physiological signs, so to speak, 
of this change, often go hand in hand with 

8 



86 A physician's counsels to woman. 

a numerous host of morbid symptoms. 
The age of decline, like the age of puberty, 
has its peculiar dangers to the health. 
These should be known, that they may be 
guarded against. Although many of them 
are of a petty character, they may be, and 
often are, the cause of the greatest misery. 

It need not surprise us that a function 
which during thirty years has held in 
dependence, as it were, the rest of the 
economy, does not lose its very existence 
without a struggle. If it were nothing 
more than the cessation of an old and 
accustomed hemorrhage, it would be apt to 
give rise, in many constitutions and tem- 
peraments, to a predisposition to various 
maladies. It is because of the liability, at 
this epoch, to the invasion of disease, that 
the term, the critical age, has been em- 
ployed to distinguish it. 

"We are glad, however, to say that the 
profound dread of this period which exists 
in the minds of many women is unfounded. 
Their fears greatly exaggerate any real 
danger. Nature does not place such a 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 87 

heavy burden upon their sex as they im- 
agine ; she does not cruelly afflict the wife 
and mother at the close of a career of 
fecundity so full of sacrifices and generous 
devotion. A speedy death is not the fate 
she reserves for those who can no longer 
obey her law " to increase and multiply." 
On the contrary, we find that more men 
than women die between the ages of forty 
and fifty, and that, this critical period once 
over, the woman's expectation of long life 
is greater than that of the man of the same 
age. 

Still, we repeat, there are dangers to the 
health which group themselves around this 
period in every woman's life. There are 
also certain precautions which may be 
taken to avert them and to increase the 
chance of long life. 

There are some women to whom these 
remarks do not apply. "With them the 
cessation of the menstrual function seems 
to be the signal for an increase of vigor, a 
renewal of life, and a disembarrassment from 
many inconveniences. The vital activity, 



88 A physician's counsels to woman. 

which had animated the organs of repro- 
duction, of which nature has no longer any 
need, is transferred to the organs of diges- 
tion and assimilation. The circulation be- 
comes more energetic, and a more abundant 
flow of blood penetrates the vessels of the 
skin, communicating a ruddy hue, which 
simulates the freshness of youth. The 
breasts attain a new development, and the 
woman regains her pristine comeliness, in 
this, the Indian summer of her life. It is 
particularly among those whom a too 
abundant monthly flow has kept in a con- 
dition of habitual languor, that we find, at 
the change of life, an agreeable embonpoint 
and the appearance of a second youth. 
Some women only enjoy perfect health 
after this epoch, and have really more vigor 
and freshness at fifty than at thirty. 

This bappy class are in the minority. 
The majority of womankind find this period 
of their lives a more or less stormy one; the 
important changes in the economy which 
take place, accomplishing themselves in 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 89 

the midst of disturbances of the nervous 
system and of other parts. 

The body having been accustomed to 
lose, periodically, a certain quantity of 
blood, often continues to feel the need of 
the same loss, after the cessation of the 
menstrual flow. From this it results that 
the blood being refused its habitual outlet, 
seeks to escape in various other directions. 
Hence the occurrence of rushes of blood to 
the head, of palpitations of the heart, bleed- 
ings from the nose, spittings of blood, skin 
diseases, diarrhoea, etc., of which the phy- 
sician sees so many examples at this criti- 
cal age. All these troubles are more apt 
to be grave in those who are full-blooded 
and of the sanguine temperament. 

Gout is one of the affections to which 
women are more subject after the cessation 
of the menses. This has long been known. 
Hippocrates, indeed, asserted that women 
were not subject to this affection at all until 
after the change of life. Seneca reproached 
the women of his time for having, by their 
excesses, falsified this aphorism of the 



90 A physician's counsels to woman. 

yenerable sage of Cos. The fact is, that 
although women are more liable to gouty 
and rheumatic affections after the change 
of life, they are not altogether exempt from 
them before this period. 

"Various neryous disorders are prone to 
declare themselves at this time. As might 
be presumed, they occur most frequently in 
women of the fashionable world, who have 
passed their youth in the midst of excite- 
ment and emotion, and who have violated 
in a thousand ways the laws of their nature. 
They are encountered, however, though much 
less frequently, among those who have led 
lives of moderation and regularity. Nearly 
all women, indeed, who reach the climac- 
teric age, pass through a state of different 
degrees of nervousness. A distinguished 
physician has accounted for the frequency 
of these troubles in the following manner : — 

"For certain women of society to de- 
scend from the pedestal on which beauty 
and birth have placed them, is impossible. 
The idea of growing old irritates them, and 
the void which then surrounds those who 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 91 

have not learned to find happiness in the 
family circle, is the cause of a continual 
fretfulness, which manifests itself in some 
disorders of the nervous system." 

This view is not a correct one. Though, 
doubtless, many see with regret the ad- 
vance of age, which they know is about to 
oppose forever an insurmountable barrier 
between them and many of the pleasures 
of life in which they found the most de- 
light, yet this natural chagrin does not 
account for all their nervous troubles. The 
majority who suffer from troubles of this 
kind, present signs of deterioration of the 
blood, amounting even, in some cases, to 
green-sickness, chlorosis, a disease not ex- 
clusively confined to puberty. There is 
feebleness and depression of the pulse, pallor 
of the complexion, and many other indica- 
tions which point evidently to a morbid 
condition set up by the change of life, and 
show clearly that the nervous disturbances 
are not the result of vexation because of the 
consciousness of advancing years. These 
sufferings are not, therefore, to be lightly 



92 A physician's counsels to woman. 

treated, either by physicians or friends; 
they are not the effects of mere fancy, but 
haye their root in an impoverishment of the 
blood. 

It is a remarkable fact that the disorders 
and inconveniences which were experienced 
at puberty, the beginning of the childbearing 
period of life, are now repeated at the 
menopause, the end of this period. Those 
who have assumed their womanly attributes 
without pain or disease, part with them 
without suffering. On the contrary, those 
who have suffered most at puberty, have 
the most to endure at the change of life. 

Its Hygiene. 

Although, as we have asserted, the fears 
commonly entertained of the risks which 
environ this epoch are exaggerated, it does 
not follow that the change of life should be 
looked forward to with indifference, and the 
wise directions of hygiene despised. 

On the contrary, we insist that every 
woman who hopes for a healthy old age 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 93 

ought to commence her prudent cares as 
early as the fortieth year, or sooner. She 
should reform her manner of life, and her 
nourishment, if such reform be required. 
She should study with attention her tem- 
perament, her habits, and her peculiar dis- 
positions. She should recall the memory of 
the maladies to which she has been subject 
during the course of her life, above all, those 
at the age of puberty, in order to guard 
against their recurrence. She should cease 
to endeavor to appear young, when she is 
no longer so, and withdraw from the excite- 
ments and fatigues of the gay world, even 
in the midst of her legitimate successes, to 
enter upon that more tranquil era of her ex- 
istence now at hand. She will thus escape 
many pains and troubles, and will not fail to 
find in the future unsuspected -well-springs 
of the purest pleasure. She should particu- 
larly avoid, at this time, all excesses of the 
table, all stimulating drinks, such as wine, 
coffee, and liquors, excepting under medical 
advice, all derangements of the perspiration, 



94 A physician's counsels to woman. 

and exposure to cold, particularly to cold 
and moisture. She should take active ex- 
ercise every day, in the open air, especially 
if she be of a lymphatic temperament and 
predisposed to undue corpulency. Horse- 
back exercise, and dancing, are not proper. 
Nothing is more hurtful than idleness. 
Most American mothers can find at hand 
enough to do, for their own families and 
friends, to absorb all their energies. There 
are also works of charity in abundance, 
which demand not merely money, but active 
exertion and constant occupation of the 
mind. In the gentle joys of benevolence 
will be found the best remedies for mental 
distress and gloomy depression. Idleness 
of the mind and heart are even more dan- 
gerous at this time than want of bodily 
activity, above all in persons of nervous 
temperament and with feeble and irritable 
digestive organs. Let every woman, there- 
fore, bear in mind, as the most valuable 
precept on health we can give her, her para- 
mount need of activity at this epoch, and 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 95 

spare not her heart, hand, or head, in good 
works. Gratitude and affection will not be 
her only rewards, for peace of mind and 
health of body will crown her efforts. 



THE PEELIMINAEIES OF 
MAEEIAGE. 



It is said of Pythagoras, the great philo- 
sopher of antiquity, that he expressed his 
astonishment at the little regard paid, in 
his time, to the health of the offspring, in 
considering the preliminaries of marriage. 
He contrasted this conduct with the care 
exercised by stock-growers, who sought to 
unite only those animals which would best 
secure the beauty and yigor of their flocks. 
This reproach of Pythagoras is as applica- 
ble to-day as when it was uttered twenty- 
three centuries ago. But we are a human 
society, and not a herd of animals. Kb 
arbitrary legislation should be enforced in 
this matter, as was urged by him and many 
since his time. All that can be done, all 
that it is desirable to do, is to point out the 
dangers of improper unions, and to dissi- 
(96) 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 97 

pate the prevailing ignorance on the sani- 
tary conditions of marriage. With this 
object in view, we shall discuss the proper 
relative ages of the husband and wife, the 
question of relationship, and the dangers to 
the offspring of certain disease, on either 
side or both. 



The Difference in Age. 

"We have ' spoken of the age of the bride, 
and shown that nature clearly indicates the 
period between the twentieth and twenty- 
fifth years as the best for her marriage. 
"What should be the age of her husband? 
Certainly not under twenty-three; and as 
full growth and physical development are 
not attained by a man before the twenty- 
fifth year, this latter is tne preferable mini- 
mum age. The decade from twenty-five to 
thirty-five is that in which he is the best 
fitted for marriage. If the man be delicate, 
or with a predisposition to disease, the risk 
to the offspring is increased if he contract 
marriage after the age of thirty-five. 

9 



98 A physician's counsels to wonan. 

The difference in years between husband 
and wife ought not, perhaps, be less than 
five nor more than ten, the husband being, 
of course, the senior. This relationship in 
years secures the greatest conjugal hap- 
piness for the longest time, and is in the 
best interests of the children. As woman 
becomes sooner old than man, the wife 
should never be the senior of her husband. 
The effect of the Telative age of the couple 
upon the sex of their children, we will con- 
sider in the second part of this work. It 
suffices now to state that, with seniority on 
the part of the husband, there is much more 
apt- to be a majority of boys in the family. 



The Union of May and December. 

The marriage of old women with young 
men is comparatively rare. Occasionally, 
from pecuniary motives, such a union is 
formed. It is, of course, sterile, for a 
woman, after the change of life, cannot con- 
ceive. Aside from this, it has no hygienic 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 99 

bearings, whatever may be said as to the 
moral questions involved. 

Old men with young wives are more 
numerous. Hygiene opposes itself to these 
unions, which violate the design of nature. 
They are particularly dangerous to the hus- 
band; they are unfavorable to the health 
and longevity of the children, who seem to 
inherit the senility of their father, and die 
early. These discordant marriages have, 
in short, nothing to recommend them ; they 
are positively hurtful to those who contract 
them, and to their descendants; they are 
in violation of the laws of nature and mo- 
rality. 

WIlo Should Not Marry. 

We have just spoken of the physiologi- 
cal impropriety of discordant marriages. 
Youth should not, therefore, marry with 
age. The presence of disease, or of a pre- 
disposition to disease, in either or both con- 
tracting parties, ought to excite the liveliest 
solicitude as to the well-being of the off- 
spring. This subject, the inheritance of 



100 A physician's counsels to woman. 

disease, we treat at length farther on. Our 
reader will find, on a later page, those dis- 
eases and predispositions which forbid 
marriage. It only remains for us, in this 
connection, to answer the question, 



Should the Marriage of Cousins be 
Forbidden? 

The legislatures of Kentucky and New 
Hampshire have answered this question in 
the affirmative. They have not only said 
that cousins should not' marry, but have 
ordained that they shall not. This action 
has been characterized by the ablest of 
French writers on hygiene as " une intrepi- 
ditS tout Americaine" It is certainly a 
very peremptory disposition of a very grave 
question. 

We have no hesitation in affirming that 
the fear of marrying even a first cousin, if 
there he no decided hereditary taint in the 
family, is a groundless one. Most French, 
English, and American physicians of the 
greatest experience and highest authority 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 101 

on this subject, hold this view. The fol- 
lowing editorial words from a recent num- 
ber of one of the most reliable of all medical 
journals, the London Lancet, express the 
result of scientific inquiry. 

" The marriage of cousins, providing 
both are healthy, has no tendency to pro- 
duce disease in the offspring. If, however, 
the cousins inherit the disease, or the pro- 
clivity to it, of their common ancestor, their 
children will have a strong tendency to 
that disease, which might be fostered or 
suppressed by circumstances. There can 
be no question that cousins descended from 
an insane or highly consumptive grand- 
parent should not intermarry ; but we can- 
not see any reason for supposing that either 
insanity or consumption would result from 
the intermarriage of healthy cousins." 

Dr. Napheys, in his "Physical Life of 
"Woman," asserts, and supports his opinion 
by facts, that, if the family he entirely healthy, 
there is no danger of physical or mental 
degradation in the offspring of cousins. 
He says : — 

9* 



102 A physician's counsels to woman. 

" Many a married couple have been ren- 
dered miserable by the information that 
they had unwittingly violated one of na- 
ture's most positive laws. Though their 
children may be numerous and blooming, 
they live in constant dread of some terrible 
outbreak of disease. Many a young and 
loving couple have sadly severed an en- 
gagement, which would have been a pre- 
lude to a happy marriage, when they were 
informed of these disastrous results. 

" For all such we have a word of conso- 
lation. "We speak it authoritatively, and 
not without a full knowledge of the respon- 
sibility we assume. 

" The fear of marrying a cousin, even a 
first cousin, is entirely groundless, provided 
there is no decided hereditary taint in the 
family. And when such hereditary taint 
does exist, the danger is not greater than 
in marrying into any other family where it 
is also found. On the contrary, a German 
author has urged the propriety of such 
unions, where the family has traits of men- 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 103 

tal or physical excellence, as a means of 
preserving and developing them." 

In the view we have taken we are also 
fully supported by Dr. Samuel H. Dickson, 
the venerable Professor of Practice of 
Medicine in the Jefferson Medical College 
of Philadelphia. This distinguished physi- 
cian says : " Several writers on both sides 
of the Atlantic — on this side, Professor 
Bemiss — ascribe much of tubercular and 
scrofulous disease to the marrying of rela- 
tives, physical incest, as it is called. I 
think the truth can be put in a nutshell. I 
suggest it to you : there is a great deal of 
exaggeration on this subject, yet there is 
much reason for the belief that the inter- 
marriage of relatives is dangerous to the 
offspring, not on account of their mere con- 
sanguinity, but because they are likely to 
have the same predisposition to scrofula, if 
that predisposition exist in that family. 
* # * Therefore we come to the conclusion 
that it is not an essential result of marriage 
of consanguinity that there should be 
scrofulous or other degeneracy. Why, 



104 a physician's counsels to woman. 

then, does it often happen that marriages 
of consanguinity are followed by physical 
or mental degeneracy? Because if there is 
any predisposition to disease in a family, 
the female will have it as well as the male ; 
if then, under such circumstances, two 
cousins of similar scrofulous predisposition 
marry each other, it is certain the offspring 
of these cousins will be more scrofulous 
than their parents ; but it is not so by the 
law of consanguinity. For suppose two 
persons scrofulously predisposed, of the 
most distant and diverse race, marry, the 
result will be just the same without the 
slightest consanguinity. It is due to the 
predisposition, and not to the blood. It is 
for this reason more apt to be encountered 
among married relatives ; but it is not es- 
sential, it is not a law. If two cousins are 
healthy, and see fit to marry, there is as 
much reason to believe that their children 
would be healthy as if they were not con- 
nected by cousinship or consanguinity at 
all. If their temperament be opposite, it 
will be as favorable a conjunction as if they 



WHAT MAKES WOMAN. 105 

were not connected. If we could manage 
these things as the stock-breeder does with 
the lower animals, undoubtedly we could 
improve the human breed to a great de- 
gree." 



PART 




Animal and Spiritual Love. 

Our nature is like a tissue cunningly 
woven with threads of gold and flax. Re- 
gard it in one light, and we see naught but 
the coarsest dull fibre of the plant ; in 
another, and our eyes are dazzled by the 
glitter and gleam of the noble metal. So 
our passions and impulses now touch upon 
the infinite and the eternal world beyond, 
and anon seem of the earth earthy, "com- 
pact of thankless clay." 

Nowhere is this more conspicuous than in 
the study of that passion which governs us 
more than all others combined, and decides 
upon our lives with the arbitrary will of a 
Fate — we mean the passion of Love. 

(107) 



108 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Based, perhaps, on these blind instincts, 
which nature has implanted in all organic 
creatures, to multiply and bring forth after 
their kind, it finds its summit and highest 
expressions in words and deeds which are 
recorded on the page of history as the sub- 
limest known to mortal ken. What won- 
drous examples of martyrs, what self-sacri- 
fice, what deliberate contempt of riches, 
reputation, life itself, do these over-true 
tales of love contain, with which the litera- 
ture of the past is crowded ! 

Harrow and paltry is the intellect which 
in these narratives can see nothing but the 
outcropping and fruit of a carnal desire. 
To such we would say, in the words of 
Thomas Carlyle, " "What sort of a man is 
that who cannot enjoy the delicate aroma 
of the rose without forever thinking of the 
dung which enriches its roots ?" 

The love which is known by the sexes 
finds its fruition not in ephemeral sensa- 
tions common to men and the brutes, but 
in the intercommunion of soul with soul, in 
the unity of thoughts, cares, pleasures, and 



WOMAN A WIFE. 109 

strivings, in the sympathy which soothes 
and the confidence which strengthens, in 
the faith that casts out fear and the hopes 
which are never selfish, and in the mutual 
exchange of thoughts, which increase as 
they progress. As the poet says, compar- 
ing such reciprocity to the sounds of na- 
ture — 

" Oh love, they die in yonr rich sky, 
They faint on hill or field or river ; 
Our echoes roll from soul to soul, 
And grow forever and forever." 

If such language seems to the inexperi- 
enced as meaningless phrase-making, we 
can but say that there are those, and we 
hope they are many, who will see in what 
we have just written a true though feeble 
portraiture of that higher range of feeling 
to which true affection leads the happily 
married. 

Confident in this higher definition of 
passion, we have the less hesitation in ana- 
lyzing it boldly, for if we do find that it is 
intimately associated with traits of our 

merely earthy nature, and with feelings 
10 



210 a physician's counsels to woman. 

which are shared by inferior races, yet we 
bear in mind that out of this animal love 
rises a mighty and a pure passion, which is 
to this other what' the trim stalk and deli- 
cate flower are to the unsightly tuber. 

It is this distinction that we would urge 
to be constantly borne in mind, and to be 
always considered, when estimating the 
character and value of investigations like 
that in which we are now engaged. 

The First Experiences. 

The momentous epoch when the maiden 
becomes a wife, is for her a critical hour, and 
often influences largely her future health. 
How many diseases peculiar to her sex date 
their inception or origin from the first 
conjugal approaches, only physicians are 
aware; and among physicians, those most 
fully appreciate the effects of such a change 
who have most attentively studied the sub- 
ject. 

That marriage is a bloody rite — that, so 
far as the female is concerned, its consum- 



WOMAN A WIFE. Ill 

mation is painful and distressing — is true as 
a rule ; but it is well to know that it is not 
always so. "Whenever the pain is very se- 
vere or permanent, then there must be some 
condition contrary to nature or to health. 
And if, as sometimes happens, it is not 
possible for proper relations to be estab- 
lished, then there is probably some unusual 
and unnatural conformation on the part of 
the female, which the surgeon alone can 
comprehend and remedy. Such cases do 
occur now and then, and, if misunderstood 
or not attended to, lead to estrangement 
and suffering. 

The Indulgence of Desire. 

The experienced physician sees in his 
practice not a few affections which owe 
their origin and continuance to excess in 
the marital relation. Such excesses are 
often the result of ignorance of natural 
laws. 

It is impossible to lay down any absolute 
rules on this subject. The wife who un- 



112 A physician's counsels to woman. 

necessarily restricts her husband's cus- 
tomary privileges runs the risk of domestic 
infelicity. Probably, when in health, two 
or three indulgences a week may be looked 
upon as within the proper bounds. In cases 
in which there is great debility, or during 
convalescence from an illness, any indul- 
gence is hurtful. The same is true of cases 
in which there is actual pain, and when the 
act is found to be a depressing and pros- 
trating instead of a restoring one. 

The Sleeping Apartment. 

From time to time it has been urged by 
various writers that a separation should 
occur at night between husband and wife. 
Some have advocated different chambers; 
others, two beds in the same room. If both 
parties be in good health, and the bed- 
chamber be sufficiently ample, the interests 
of hygiene demand no such separation. 

There are circumstances when the same 
bed or even the same room should not be 
occupied during the long hours of the night 



WOMAN A WIFE. 113 

by husband and wife. One of these is, a 
great discrepancy in the ages of the married 
pair. A young wife should not habitually 
sleep by the side of a husband far advanced 
in years. Neither should a healthful wife 
share the bed of a consumptive husband. 

Is consumption contagious? This is a 
vexed question in medicine at the present 
time. But there have been so many cases, 
fully authenticated by the most experienced 
physicians, in which this disease has made 
its appearance after marriage, and been, 
apparently, traceable to contagion, that we 
feel justified in uttering a word of caution. 
It is not unfrequently noticed that women 
in good health, and free from family pre- 
disposition, sicken and die from consump- 
tion a few years after union with men suf- 
fering from a well-developed form of this 
disease. Experiments which have been 
made with the inoculation of tubercle, by 
M. Yillemin, of Paris, would seem to show 
that tuberculous disease may be transferred 
in this manner from one animal to another. 
Our words of caution are intended to apply 

5* 



114 



physician's counsels to woman. 



to cases of the actual presence of the dis- 
ease, and not to those where merely a pre- 
disposition exists. In such instances, there 
is, of course, no immediate danger of con- 
tagion, and a marital union with a healthy 
partner may be unattended with evil results. 
It is of the utmost importance that the 
common bedchamber be large, and well 
ventilated. It has been shown that the air 
space required by a healthy person is at 
least twelve hundred cubic feet, and that 
this air should be completely renewed, by 
means of ventilation, every hour. Therefore, 
this double room should measure twenty- 
five hundred cubic feet ; that is to say, if it 
be twelve feet high it should be about fif- 
teen feet square. 



The Bed and its Coverings. 

The bed ought to be placed in a dry 
chamber, and be exposed to the sun at mid- 
day. It should not be too soft nor warm. 
For this reason, feather-beds are hurtful. 
They increase the perspiration, and so en- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 115 

feeble the system. Heavy coverlets are 
objectionable on the same account, and 
because they interfere with the movements 
of respiration. 

Horsehair, and sponge, both make ex- 
cellent beds. Sleeping upon the latter has 
some repute as a remedy against sterility. 



/i 









WHAT PAEENTS TEANSMIT 
TO THEIE OFFSPBIUG. 

All Hying beings transmit to their de- 
scendants, besides the type of their species, 
the physical and moral peculiarities which 
characterize them. This phenomenon is 
known as inheritance. The study of the 
precise laws in virtue of which this trans- 
mission of the qualities of the parents to 
the children takes place, has been diligently 
pursued of late years. The subject is a 
most interesting one. In its important re- 
lations to marriage, it deserves our most 
attentive consideration. "We shall there- 
fore devote some pages to the laws of that 
terrible yet mysterious force which so pro- 
foundly impresses our nature at the very 
outset of existence. 

Inheritance assumes various forms, to 
each of which a distinctive name has been 
(116) 



WOMAN A WIFE. 117 

applied. First we have direct inheritance, 
in which the qualities of the parents are 
transmitted to the children. Secondly, col- 
lateral inheritance, in which the disease, or 
the predisposition to it, proceeds from col- 
lateral branches of the family. Thirdly, 
there is what is known as atavism, in which 
one generation escapes, the defects passing 
directly from the grandparents. Fourthly, 
inheritance by influence, is that force by 
which the mother transmits the impressions 
she has received from her husband in a first 
marriage to her children in a second union. 

Not only are physical peculiarities, such 
as form, structure, the healthful and the 
diseased conditions of the body, capable of 
inheritance, but also moral qualities, i. e., 
the thoughts, affections, talents, virtues, and 
vices. 

If the force of inheritance were uninter- 
rupted in its operation, all children would 
exactly resemble their parents, and the 
generations at present upon the globe be 
the prototypes of their predecessors. This 
we all know is not the case. Many influ- 



118 A physician's counsels to woman. 

enees are constantly at war with this force. 
Among these may be mentioned the neu- 
tralizing effects of the different dispositions 
in the father and mother, the power of 
habit, the modifications due to climate, etc. 

The Physical Peculiarities we Inherit. 

The general appearance and particular 
features of the face and figure are, as 
everybody knows, the subjects of inherit- 
ance. Thus, beauty, and the lack of it, are 
transmissible. The resemblance of children 
to their parents may be seen either in the 
whole contour of the body, or only in some 
particular parts. Sometimes in this resem- 
blance can clearly be traced the combined 
traits of both parents ; in other instances, 
only those of one of them. The infant 
may, at different periods of its life, appear 
to look more like the one and then the other 
parent. Special exaggerations or deformi- 
ties of feature are frequently preserved in 
families for a long time. The hereditary 



WOMAN A WIPE. 119 

squint of the family of Montmorency, and 
the well-known aquiline nose of the Bour- 
bons, are in illustration. 

Children may resemble, generally, or in 
some one prominent respect, not only their 
parents, but also, in accordance with the 
varieties of inheritance we have mentioned, 
a grandparent or an ancestor far removed, 
an uncle or aunt, or the deceased first hus- 
band of their mother. This last form of 
inheritance is one difficult to comprehend. 
The influence of the father on the future 
children of the mother by another husband, 
is well attested by an abundance of facts. 
It was in a measure known to the ancients, 
who had the adage : Filium ex adultera ex- 
cusare matrem a culpa. The influence of 
the first father is recognized in the animal 
kingdom. A blood-mare which has once 
borne colts to a common stallion, will ever 
afterwards be unfitted to procreate her own 
stock with a stallion of her own race. The 
female organism remains true to the impress 
it has received in the first conjugal union. 



120 A physician's counsels to woman. 

In considering the physical peculiarities 
we inherit, the question naturally suggests 
itself — 



Can we have Beautiful Children at Will? 

There is an old art known as caTlipcedia. 
A few centuries ago it had its professors and 
its pupils. It had for its object the preser- 
vation of symmetry and the suppression of 
deformity. This it proposed to accomplish 
by an ingenious crossing in marriage of 
personal traits capable of modifying or en- 
hancing each other. "While we look upon 
marriage as too serious a compact for the 
carrying out of such speculations to the 
extent to which they were formerly pushed, 
there is little doubt of the success which 
attended those attempts. 

It is easy to show by examples how 
physical exaggerations or defects may be 
modified. Thus it is very possible to get 
rid, in a single generation, by an intelli- 
gent selection in marriage, of that excessive 
tallness or shortness which the members of 



WOMAN A WIFE. 121 

some families justly regard as a personal 
cross. In like manner may be remedied 
the family tendency to undue development 
of the whole or of parts of the body, which 
is the cause of so much mental distress. 
The shade of hair politely termed auburn is 
regarded at the present time with much 
disfavor. It is well known that the off- 
spring of parents, the one of whom is very 
dark, the other very light, have frequently 
hair of this color. 

The ancient Greeks, who valued highly 
personal beauty, spared no pains to secure 
it for their posterity. They filled their 
houses and places of public resort with 
beautiful statues, not only to gratify their 
own love of the beautiful, but in the hope 
of thus moulding, through the influence of 
the maternal mind, their offspring. 

There can be no doubt of the disastrous 
effects upon both the mind and the body of 
the child, of a condition of disquietude, 
anxiety, or excessive emotion in the mother 
during pregnancy. It is a matter of 
record, that during the French Revolution 
11 



122 A physician's counsels to woman. 

a very large number of children were born 
deformed, idiotic, deaf, dumb, and blind, in 
consequence of the fearful mental sufferings 
of their mothers. Let those about to 
become mothers, therefore, remove them- 
selves from disturbing influences, and 
cultivate pleasant thoughts and peaceful 
emotions. 

But, in fact, physical beauty is only the 
reflection of physical health. In order to 
have beautiful children, we must have them 
vigorous, and free from constitutional taint. 
Health is the substance of which beauty is 
the sign. Symmetry of form and harmony 
of feature result from the perfect perform- 
ance of all the functions which sustain life. 
In this sense, the art of callipaedia is one 
which should be cultivated by every family. 
Those who weep because of their ugliness, 
can trace the cause of their sufferings to 
the diseases and vices of their ancestors ; 
for vice, as well as disease, stamps itself 
upon the physiognomy by inheritance. The 
human race can be made more beautiful 
only by being made more healthful and 



WOMAN A WIFE. 123 

more virtuous. "When one is as healthful 
as is possible, one is as beautiful as is 
possible. 

The diffusion in every family of a know- 
ledge of the laws of health will go far 
towards attaining this end. Our principal 
object in treating, in this book, of the phy- 
sical conditions of marriage, has been to 
guard the interests of unborn children. It 
is just here, before life is begun, that hy- 
giene is most powerful. After birth, and 
particularly after maturity, its powers are 
limited. "We would therefore impress upon 
those who are, and those who are about to 
become mothers, the importance of our pre- 
sent topic, namely, of an attentive regard 
for all that will, by preventing disease, se- 
cure the health, and thus the personal 
comeliness, of the little ones to whom they 
impart life. 



124 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The Muscular and Vital Powers Capable 
of Transmission. 

That muscular activity and energy can be 
transmitted, is readily proven. The Eng- 
lish race-horses, whose genealogy is always 
carefully looked into, show the credit ac- 
corded to the influence of inheritance upon 
the muscular system. The athletes of 
antiquity procreated their powers, and were 
found only in certain families. 

It is more particularly in regard to the 
senses that we are interested, as bearing 
upon the health of the family. Delicacy 
of touch, extreme sensitiveness to cold, 
acuteuess or obtuseness of smell and taste, 
are all met with as hereditary peculiarities. 
These are of trifling moment as compared 
with hereditary delicacy of sight, blindness, 
and deafness, which certainly merit serious 
attention on the part of those concerned. 

The constitution is transmissible to the 
offspring. Two radically feeble constitu- 
tions united in marriage can scarcely fail 
to produce puny and short-lived infants. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 125 

Those who, by forming such a union, sacri- 
fice the health of their families to their 
desires or their fortunes, assume a grave 
responsibility. 

It is advisable, ^ so far as possible, to 
unite opposite temperaments in marriage. 
The union, for instance, of the sanguine 
with the lymphatic or nervous, will tend to 
the advantage of the children. The mar- 
riage of two persons of a very sanguine 
temperament, especially if there be a family 
history of disease of the heart, apoplexy, 
gout, etc., will be apt to result disastrously. 
The union of two lymphatic temperaments 
favors the development of scrofula ; of two 
nervous temperaments, of disorders of the 
nervous system. 

Longevity is evidently hereditary. As 
Prof. Fonssagrives has well remarked, one 
has only to look around him in order to 
assure himself that each family has, in 
some measure, its own longevity, and that 
the term of life of each of its members, 
accidents excepted, has a duration which is 
scarcely ever passed. It seems that in 
11* 



126 A physician's counsels to woman. 

these families, life, like a clock, is wound 
up for a certain time, which is essentially 
the same for each member, modified only 
by casualties or crossings with other fami- 
lies more long-lived. Vigor of constitu- 
tion is not necessarily the characteristic of 
families in which long life is hereditary. 
We frequently see individuals remarkable 
for the strength and beauty of their organi- 
zation, whose career is short. In other 
families, the members of which appear 
habitually weak, we find long life to be the 
rule. This contrast, which is so common, 
led a physician of the last century, Four- 
nier, to write a book entitled "The Ad- 
vantages of having a Feeble Constitution." 
The truth is, longevity is as much a matter 
of pure inheritance, and, to a considerable 
extent, as independent of other physical 
qualities, as is the color of the hair. It is- 
prudent to bear this fact in mind in contem- 
plating family alliances. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 127 

The Intellectual Powers Capable of 
Transmission. 

Observation proves that intelligence is 
not less hereditary than the height or form 
of the body. Judgment, memory, imagi- 
nation, and special talents in science or art, 
are passed down from parent to child. The 
father of Raphael was a painter. Joseph 
Yernet, his son Charles Yernet, and his 
grandson Horace Yernet, were celebrated 
for the same talent. The two brothers of 
Titien, and his son, were painters. The 
mother of Yan Dyck painted flowers. 
Similar instances, almost without number, 
are to be found in the other arts and pro- 
fessions. 

Is ^it possible, then, by an intelligently 
formed alliance, to create a genius in 
science or literature ? Not so. Genius is 
an anomaly, and it is rarely inherited or 
transmitted by its possessor. It is of 
divine origin, and unbound by hereditary 
fetters. 

The reason why men of distinguished 



128 A physician's counsels to woman. 

parts do not more generally transmit their 
abilities, is to be found in the unfortunate 
marriages they frequently contract. Thus 
it happened with the illustrious author of 
Faust, who married his cook. He had a 
son who resembled him physically, but 
partook of the intelligence of his mother. 
The Germans called him " The son of the 
servant." 

This fact reminds us of 

The Diverse Influence of Fathers and 
Mothers. 

It may be briefly stated, as a general 
principle, that the resemblance of the child 
to the father is most marked in its external 
organization. The peculiarities of its con- 
stitution and temperament are derived more 
frequently from the mother. The paternal 
and maternal influence vary with the sex of 
the child. In the case of sons, .the physical 
conformation of the head and upper portions 
of the body are ordinarily derived from the 
mother ; in the case of daughters, from the 



WOMAN A WIFE. 129 

father. Hence in the line of descent from 
parents to children, intellectual qualities, 
depending as they do upon the nature and 
structure of the brain, are apt to cross from 
fathers to daughters, from mothers to sons. 
A few minutes' persual of the pages of a 
biographical dictionary will make evident 
to the curious reader the frequent transmis- 
sion, by celebrated men, of their abilities 
to their daughters, and show also how often 
those men whose names the world will not 
willingly let die have had talented mothers. 
Much might be said upon the sad in- 
heritance of disorders of the mind and intel- 
lect. "We will merely remark here, that 
there are two forms of character or disposi- 
tion which, when they exist to a marked 
degree, are frequently the cause of mental 
perversions in the offspring. These are, 
first, what is known as singularity or idio- 
syncrasy of character, which, when exces- 
sive, may metamorphose itself, by inherit- 
ance, into insanity ; and, second, great 
moroseness of disposition, which not rarely 



130 A physician's counsels to woman. 

leads to melancholia in the child, a form of 
monomania characterized by profound de- 
pression. 

The Moral Qualities Capable of 
Transmission. 

The fact, however startling it may appear 
to many, that we derive our moral as well 
as our physical nature in great part from 
our parents, is not now called in question 
by those whose studies and experience have 
thrown light upon this problem. Children 
can and do obtain, by hereditary transmis- 
sion, the good or bad dispositions of their 
immediate ancestors. "We find tendencies 
to drunkenness, to sensual excess,, to theft, 
and to violence, the undoubted results of 
inheritance, and developed under circum- 
stances precluding the possibility of bad 
example. 

This subject comes within the domain of 
the moralist rather than of the physician. 
It is his province to indicate how, by ethi- 
cal and religious culture, hereditary inclina- 
tions to evil may be arrested or eradicated. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 131 

And it is the duty of every woman, jealous 
of her family reputation and of the future 
of her children, to know and heed the 
practical bearings of this question. 

The Diseases Capable of Transmission. 

"What branch of hygiene is more deserv- 
ing of attention than that which treats of 
the nature and prevention of transmissible 
affections ? The consequences of ignorance 
or neglect of medical laws in this regard, 
are daily seen about us, in the perpetuation 
of many diseases which would otherwise 
soon become of rare occurrence. The re- 
sponsibility of the parent is here most 
surely a serious one, it must be acknow- 
ledged, when it is remembered that the 
health and happiness of the child are largely 
determined, before its birth, by the physical 
condition of one or both parents. "We 
have, therefore, a few words to say upon 
the character and avoidance of hereditary 
disease, notwithstanding it is often alleged 
that precautionary rules are useless in a 
matter in which sentiment and affection are 



132 a physician's counsels to woman. 

so largely involved. Passion and interest 
are consulted, but medical science rarely, 
in the formation of the conjugal union. 
For all that, the duty of the physician in 
treating this subject is none the less plain. 
It is his task to make known the principles 
of sanitary science ; it is too often the fate 
of his readers to furnish him with examples 
of the disastrous effects of their disregard. 

It is a curious fact, in regard to the in- 
heritance of disease, that the child often 
copies the successive phases of the parent's 
life. Persons thus in old age become very 
like a parent to whom in their youth they 
bore no resemblance. A son will grow fat 
or lean, lose his hair or teeth, fail in memory, 
or become affected with some chronic dis- 
ease, at the same time as his father did 
before him. 

A child liable to the effects of hereditary 
disease should be reared with care. Those 
measures and safeguards (which in the 
third part of this book we shall particular- 
ize) best calculated to protect early infancy 
should be rigidly regarded. Throughout 



^m 



WOMAN A WIFE. 133 

the whole period of childhood, indeed, a care- 
ful watchfulness ought to be exercised. 
By a sedulous regard for the laws of health, 
much may be done to avert the impending 
eyil or to mitigate its effects. In after-life, 
that occupation ought to be chosen which 
experience has shown is least likely to de- 
velop the disease to which the person is 
predisposed. 

A large proportion of the deaths which 
occur in early life are due mainly to some 
constitutional taint, the result of hereditary 
influence. The constitutional peculiarities 
principally met with are the scrofulous and 
the rickety. It should be borne in mind, 
in view of these tendencies to disease in 
childhood, that the one great condition 
which increases the danger, in all cases, is 
debility. There is little liability to the 
breaking out of hereditary disease in a 
strong and healthy child. The weak and 
delicate are in constant peril. This is not 
surprising when we recollect the extreme 
delicacy of the little organs, the exquisite 

12 



134 A physician's counsels to woman. 

sensitiveness of the nervous system, and the 
great activity of all the physical processes. 
If, then, debility is the great developer 
of hereditary tendencies, the answer to the 
question, How can we prevent the effects 
of inherited disease? is found in that 
course of action which will guard against 
any weakening influence; which will do 
nothing to lower vital power, but all that 
is possible to sustain it. Hence, when the 
child is attacked with any of the maladies 
of early life, care must be had that the 
treatment instituted is not of a depressing 
character. The amount of nourishment 
must not be lessened- in such cases, for the 
child has need of more strength to resist 
the threatening evils. If proper food and 
needed tonics be withheld, the child will be 
found, after such an illness — an attack of 
measles or whooping-cough, for instance — 
weaker than it was before, and soon after- 
wards it will be discovered that there are 
tubercles in the lungs, or that the bones of 
the back and limbs are giving way. 



ON THE VOLUNTAKY 

PEODUOTION OF SEX. 

Law, not chance, governs all the opera- 
tions of nature. There is no effect without 
cause, and it is certainly not accident which 
presides over the birth of males or females. 
The question of the voluntary production 
of the sexes has been from the most remote 
antiquity the subject of earnest research on 
the part of many of the most illustrious 
physiologists and physicians. For, in all 
times, there have been some fathers who 
have desired, with Macbeth, to have it in 
their power to have only male heirs. And 
what mother has not wished to determine 
for herself the relative proportion in her 
family of boys to girls ? 

"We do not propose to examine the nu- 
merous theories upon the causation of sex 
advanced by the ancient philosophers. 
( 135 ) 



136 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Such an examination could only have an 
historical interest, for modern science has 
exploded them all. The great Hippocrates, 
the father of medicine, originated -a theory 
which survived the longest, having been 
revived and defended, even in the last cen- 
tury, by the celebrated naturalist Buffon. 
It is also foreign to our purpose to enume- 
rate the modern theories which, in the 
rapid progress of recent discoveries in em- 
bryology, have been suggested. "We shall 
confine ourselves to the latest and most 
positive utterances of science. 

M. Thury, Professor in the Academy of 
Geneva, has devoted himself with energy 
and success to the elucidation of this diffi- 
cult question. He instituted a series of 
widely extended and carefully conducted 
experiments upon animals, which finally en- 
abled him to formulate the following law 
for the guidance of stock-raisers : "In order 
to obtain females, give the male at the first 
signs of heat ; to obtain males, give him at 
the end of the heat." 

This law is in accordance with the fact 



. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 137 

long observed, that the first laid eggs of 
hens and of queen bees are female, the last 
male. 

Many stock-growers in all parts of the 
world have tested Prof. Thury's theory. 
They all, so far as we have seen, report 
uniform success. 

Similar success attended the trial of this 
method on the farms of the late Emperor of 
the French. In our own country we notice, 
in the "Medical and Surgical Reporter," 
and in other medical and agricultural jour- 
nals, favorable reports of like experiments 
upon animals. 

These laws on the production of sex are 
capable of voluntary application to the 
human race in accordance with the follow- 
ing rules : — 

Marital relations within the first few 
days after the cessation of the menses, give 
birth to girls. 

Those which take place later than the 

fifth or sixth day after the cessation of the 

menses, give birth to boys. 

A number of regular physicians in this 
12* 



138 a physician's counsels to woman. 



country and in England have recorded, in 
various medical journals, the results of their 
observations upon these laws. One writes 
to the " Philadelphia Medical and Surgical 
Reporter" for February 8th, 1868, as fol- 
lows : — 

"Whenever intercourse has taken place 
in from two to six days after the cessation 
of the menses, girls have been produced; 
and whenever intercourse has taken place 
in from nine to twelve days after the cessa- 
tion of the menses, boys have been pro- 
duced. In every case I have ascertained 
not only the date at which the mother 
placed the conception, but also the time 
when the menses ceased, the date of the 
first and subsequent intercourse for a month 
or more, after the cessation of the menses, 
etc." 

Other communications from medical men 7 
to the same effect, might be adduced. "We 
have said enough, however, to indicate the 
deserved prominence which Prof. Thury's 
theory on the production of sex now oc- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 139 

cupies in the scientific world, and the 
apparent uniformity of result which has 
followed its application to the lower ani- 
mals and to our own race. 

• 

Other Causes which Influence Sex. 

There are many other influences, beside 
the one we have just mentioned, which 
have long been recognized as agents in the 
determination of sex. The most prominent 
among these are the relative ages and the 
comparative physical conditions of the 
parents. Indeed, before Prof. Thury's dis- 
covery, these were regarded as the only 
known causes concerned. If the truth of 
his theory be established, they must be 
looked upon only as accessory and modify- 
ing influences. "We shall first consider 
• 

The Effect of the Relative Age of the 
Parents on the Sex of the Children. 

"Within the last few years this subject 
has been carefully investigated by a num- 
ber of prominent scholars and statisticians. 



140 A physician's counsels to woman. 

M. Boudin, a member of the French Aca- 
demy of Sciences, presented to that body, in 
1863, a paper entitled "De Vinfluence de 
Vdge relatif des parents sur le sexe des 
enfants" containing the results of his sta- 
tistical researches. He drew the following 
conclusions : — 

1st. The male sex predominates in the 
offspring when the father is older than the 
mother. 

2d. The female sex predominates, on the 
contrary, when the mother is older than the 
father. 

3d. The sexes are about equalized, with 
a slight tendency to a predominance of the 
female, when father and mother are of the 
same age. 

A German statistician, Hofacker, has 
come to the same conclusions, from an ex- 
amination of the civil registration of mar- 
riages and births in his own country. He 
states, first, parents of the same age en- 
gender more daughters ; secondly, when the 
ages of the parents differ, more daughters 



WOMAN A WIFE. 141 

are born if the mother be the older, more 
sons if the father be the senior. 

Similar researches have been instituted 
in Vienna (by Gochlert) and in England 
(by Sadler). The figures in these different 
countries agree in their results. 

Dr. Napheys, of Philadelphia, records, in 
illustration of the force of this influence of 
the relative ages of the parents on the sex 
of the child, an instance in his practice. 
A woman married twice, had children by 
both husbands. Her first husband was ten 
years older than herself. She had four 
children by him, of whom three were boys, 
the fourth a girl, having a twin brother. 
Her second husband, curiously, was ten 
years her junior. Both of the children she 
has had in this second marriage are girls. 

Again, as generally the husband is older 
than the wife, it is probably due to this 
cause that there are in all countries more 
boys born than girls. A laborious statisti- 
cal examination, including over fifty-eight 
millions of persons, has established the fact 
that for every one hundred living girls 



142 A physician's counsels to woman. 

there are brought into the world one hun- 
dred and six living boys. Yet, notwith- 
standing the truth of these figures as to 
births, women in all parts of the globe 
greatly outnumber the men. The reason 
of this strange fact we shall shortly ex- 
plain. 

Too youthful husbands have, ordinarily, 
more daughters than sons. In extreme 
age, as well as in extreme youth, fathers 
have more girls than boys. 

The Alleged Effect of the Physical Con- 
dition of the Parents on the Sex of the 
Children. 

Some physiologists have asserted that 
the sex of the child is always that of the 
parent having the greater vitality. They 
have instanced the experience of stock- 
growers, and also the preponderance of 
daughters in the families of men whose 
avocations draw largely upon their nervous 
force. Some of the recent advocates of 
Prof. Thury's theory have endeavored to 
show how this view accords with and sup- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 



143 



ports his statement of the causation of sex. 
"We have not space, however, for more than 
the briefest record of the doctrines on this 
subject, the most worthy of attention. The 
seasons, climate, mode of life, diet, and 
marital temperance, all exert an indirect, 
secondary influence upon the sex of the 
offspring. 

In all countries, without exception, in all 
latitudes, and all climates, more males than 
females are born. This preponderance of 
male births is attested by all observers. 
The following table shows the exact figures 
upon record in regard to some of the prin- 
cipal countries. 



Names of 




Periods of 


Number of 


States. 




observation. 


male births to every 
100 female births. 


France 


. . . 


. 1848-1857 


. . 106.7 


Belgium 


. . . 


. 1841-1855 


. . 106.4 


Austria 


. 


. 1842-1854 


. . 106.3 


Prussia 


. . . 


. 1826-1849 


. . 105.8 


Rhode Island . 


. 1853-1855 


. . 106.4 



144 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Which Sex is the more Numerous? 

The reader will be disposed to reply, in 
view of the preponderance of male births 
everywhere, which we have just mentioned, 
that men are necessarily redundant. The 
reverse is the fact. In all countries, and 
particularly in all cities, there are more 
women than men. This is, as we have said, 
constantly true, excepting only in territories 
newly settled, for of course the great majo- 
rity of emigrants are males. In the popu- 
lation of the city of London there are one 
hundred and thirteen women to every one 
hundred men. The proportion varies, in 
different countries and towns, between one 
hundred and five and one hundred and six- 
teen women to every one hundred men. 

How are these figures to be reconciled 
with the diametrically opposite birth-record 
in all of these countries? By the strange 
fact that though more male infants are born 
than female, fewer survive the first five 
years of their life. Especially during the 
first year of infancy the mortality is much 



WOMAN 4 WIFE. 145 

greater among male children. The pro- 
portion gradually decreases to the fifth 
year, when the death-rate is nearly equal 
for both sexes. Although during middle 
life the mortality is slightly greater among 
women, it is not such as to equalize the 
sexes. 



13 



THE LIMITATION" OF FAMILIES. 

. The physicians who have made a study 
of the maladies to which woman is subject 
when in the married state, have recognized 
several which are aggravated by the bear- 
ing of children. They have also found, by 
an examination of extensive statistics, that 
there is no good prospect for the child that 
too closely follows a former one. The con- 
dition of nursing is much interfered with 
by pregnancy; the born infant suffers by 
reason of the inferior quality of tlx, milk 
which its mother furnishes under these cir- 
cumstances ; and the unborn infant is rob- 
bed by its elder brother or sister of a large 
share of the nourishment which should go 
to form its undeveloped members. This 
whole period of pregnancy and nursing is 
a severe strain on all women, and especially 
so on the feeble ones. Time should be 
(146) 



L 



WOMAN A WIFE. 147 

allowed for the body to fully recover, and 
an interval, more or less long, be permitted 
to elapse, after the mother has ceased fur- 
nishing sustenance to one child, before she 
should be called upon thus to offer up her- 
self a second time. 

"We ask this not only in her interest ; we 
urge it for the welfare of the child. Too 
often have we heard men, whose education 
should have taught them finer sentiments, 
discuss this subject by the remarks that 
child-bearing is woman's duty and destiny; 
that she was fitted for it by nature; that it 
does not hurt her to have all the children 
she can. Such coarse yet common expres- 
sions are as fallacious in science as they are 
unfeeling in sentiment. The unsound chil- 
dren which are the products of overmuch 
production, prove to any impartial observer 
that nature herself revolts from any such 
theory, as a flagitious abuse of her best gifts. 

These children are unhealthy, fretful, ill- 
developed, not rarely weak-minded, often 
short-lived. "Wretched progeny of an over- 
tasked mother, they increase for a few 



148 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 

years her load of care, and perish ere they 
reach an age which can repay her for her 
hours of pain and toil. 

If we draw the picture darkly, it is be- 
cause years of experience have taught us 
the full falsity of the opinion too generally 
current upon this point ; if it is said too 
darkly, we had rather err on this side than 
on the other. 

But we know it hoots little to exhibit the 
misfortunes of humanity for the purpose of 
looking upon them with grief and dismay. 
Such is not our purpose. "We speak of the 
penalties upon wife and children which ex- 
cessive child-bearing brings with it, in 
order that the husband and the father may 
be influenced to a determination to assist 
in preserving the health and comfort, per- 
haps the life itself, of those he loves, by 
energetic self-control, by every justifiable 
precaution, by self-abnegation if necessary. 

Difficult as such a sacrifice may be on 
his part, let him remember that it is no- 
thing more' than the continent man must 
always exert. He must call to his support 



WOMAK A WIFE. 149 

the strong motives .which hold in leash the 
animal desires nnder other circumstances. 
He must assist his endeavors by taking to 
his aid such arrangements of sleeping as 
will expose him the least to the temptation 
of breaking his resolve. 
' There is in each month of every woman's 
life a period .during which she is sterile. 
This is known to physicians as the agenetic 
period. It begins at a time varying from a 
week to ten days after the cessation of the 
menstrual flow, and ends about a week from 
the first appearance of the next monthly 
change.- During this agenetic period in- 
tercourse is unfruitful. Most women are 
also sterile while nursing. This sterility 
continues until the first monthly sickness 
occurs. 

No circumstances, no condition of the 
system, no contingency in the domestic life, 
can excuse or palliate the 



13* 



150 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Crime of Abortion. 

The destruction of the living child, even 
though unborn, has been regarded as crimi- 
nal by the lawgivers of all ages, and we 
believe that now, in all civilized lands, 
severe penalties are attached to its commis- 
sion. 

The exposure of infants after birth, a 
custom dreadfully prevalent in oriental 
countries, is certainly not more unnatural 
than their destruction before birth, as is ex- 
tensively practised to-day in this Christian 
and enlightened nation. 

No parent with feelings above, or indeed 
equal to, those of a brute, would take the 
life of his or her child when born ; yet many 
of them think that it is a venial sin to 
quench its little spark of existence when as 
yet it is in the womb. Such obtuseness of 
moral sense is an ominous and deplorable 
sign in a community. It indicates an ab- 
sence of natural feeling and true morality, 
rather to be expected in a heathen age than 
with us. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 151 

The infant, born or unborn, is an indi- 
vidual, dependent, it is true, upon another 
for nutriment, but hardly more so before 
birth than during nursing. How unreal, 
therefore, is the distinction which, in their 
own selfish interests, people sometimes 
choose to draw! 

"We emphatically condemn the practice ; 
and, as it is said to be rife among us, and 
often to be founded on ignorance, we gladly 
take advantage of the present opportunity 
to speak about it with no uncertain sound. 
In the language of a recent medical writer, 
" From the moment of conception a new life 
commences; a new individual exists, an- 
other child is added to the family. The 
mother who deliberately sets about to de- 
stroy this life, either by want of care or by 
taking drugs, or using instruments, com- 
mits as great a crime, is just as guilty, as 
if she strangled her new-born infant, or as 
if she snatched from her own breast her six 
months' darling and dashed out its brains 
against the wall. Its blood is upon her 
head, and, as sure as there is a God and a 



152 A physician's counsels to woman. 

judgment, that blood will be required of 
her. The crime she commits is murder, 
child-ynurder — the slaughter' of a speechless, 
helpless being whom it is her duty, beyond 
all things else, to cherish and preserve. 

" This crime is common. It is fearfully 
prevalent. Hundreds of persons in every 
one of our largest cities are devoted to its 
perpetration. It is their trade. In nearly 
every village its ministers stretch out 
their bloody hands to lead the weak woman 
to suffering, remorse, and death. Those 
who submit to their treatment are not gen- 
erally unmarried women who have lost their 
virtue, but the mothers of families, re- 
spectable Christian matrons, members of 
church, and walking in the better class of 
society. 

" We appeal to all such with earnest and 
with threatening words. If they have no 
feeling for the fruit of their womb, if ma- 
ternal sentiment is so callous in their 
breasts, let them know that such produced 
abortions are the constant cause of violent 
and dangerous womb diseases, and fre- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 153 

quently of early death ; that they bring on 
mental weakness and often insanity; that 
they are the most certain means to destroy 
domestic happiness which can be adopted. 
Better, far better, to bear a child every year 
for twenty years, than to resort to such 
wicked and injurious steps ; better to die, 
if needs be, in the pangs of childbirth, than 
to live with such a weight of sin on the 
conscience."* 

* " The Physical Life of Woman : Advice to the 
Maiden, Wife, and Mother." By Dr. Geo. H. Na- 
pheys. p. 99. 



SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF 
PBEGNANCY. 

The sign most commonly relied upon is 
the cessation of the monthly sichness. The 
wife who misses the expected return of her 
monthly illness, is apt to conclude that 
conception has taken place. This sign is 
far from being an infallible one. Many 
other causes besides pregnancy may occa- 
sion a suppression, and pregnancy may 
exist without producing any effect, at. first, 
upon the regularity of the periods. In 
some instances, during the whole course of 
pregnancy, there is no derangement of this 
function. Although, therefore, the ceasing 
to be unwell is an important sign, it is not a 
certain one, and must be sustained by others 
before a conclusion can be drawn. 

The morning sickness is another indica- 
tion known to all. It is much more reliable 
(154) 



WOMAN A WIFE. 155 

than the one just mentioned. Ordinarily 
appearing the second or third week, it con- 
tinues until about the time of quickening. 
It may present itself immediately after con- 
ception. 

The condition of the skin not unfrequently 
affords an evidence of pregnancy. Blotches 
of various colors may be noticed ; it loses 
its transparency and becomes wrinkled. 
The amount of perspiration is altered; 
being sometimes increased, sometimes less- 
ened. Chronic diseases of the skin often 
forever disappear. These changes in the 
skin are not, however, constantly observed, 
nor, alone, can much weight be attached to 
them. It is only when they are associated 
with other signs and symptoms that they 
become of value. 

The alterations which take place in the 
hreasts are more constant, and to the ex- 
perienced eye present a characteristic ap- 
pearance. The glands become larger, the 
nipples more prominent and of deeper color, 
the veins under the skin of the breasts 
fuller and darker, and the pink circles about 



156 A physician's counsels to woman. 

the nipples more extended, of a purplish 
hue, and dotted with many small pimples. 
These changes in the breasts are rarely 
fully marked before the third month. 

The shape of Hie enlarging abdomen is of 
more value as a sign of pregnancy than its 
size. The presence of tumors or of dropsy 
may produce a swelling here ; but the en- 
larged abdomen due to pregnancy is of a 
peculiar form — it is pear-shaped. The 
pouting protrusion of the navel in the latter 
months of pregnancy is a noticeable sign 
of pregnancy. 

A depraved appetite — that is to say, a 
desire for unusual, perhaps unwholesome, 
articles of food — is, when present, a very 
strong indication of the existence of preg- 
nancy. Salivation, heartburn, loss of appe- 
tite, drowsiness, toothache, beating of the 
heart, etc., are among the many little an- 
noyances of the pregnant state, which, being 
often produced by other causes, are of little 
value by themselves as signs. 

Quickening is the sign of pregnancy to 
which mothers justly attach the most im- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 157 

portance. These muscular movements of 
the child are, as a rule, observed about the 
eighteenth week — that is to say, the middle 
of pregnancy. They may not be observed 
at all, owing to the feebleness of the child, 
the amount of fluid which surrounds it, or 
the insensibility of the uterine walls. 

There are a number of other signs and 
symptoms of pregnancy known to the me- 
dical profession, which require an educated 
eye, ear, and touch for their detection. 
Their enumeration here would, therefore, be 
out of place. The one upon which the 
physician places the most reliance is the 
sound made by the beating of the child's 
heart, which, by a skilled ear, can be heard 
about the fifth month. 



How the Presence of Twins may be 
Known. 

An unusually rapid increase in size, 
more than ordinary severity of the morning 
sickness, the separation of the abdomen 
into two portions, one on each side, by a 

14 



158 A physician's counsels to woman. 

fissure, and the existence, at the same time, 
of foetal movements on both sides of the 
abdomen, are all indications of a twin preg- 
nancy. These are not, however, infallible. 
There is only one sign which is conclusive. 
This again requires the practised ear of the 
physician for its detection. During the 
latter month of pregnancy the beating of 
each heart may be distinguished when 
twins are present, thus settling the question 
beyond all doubt. 

We therefore see what an admirable aid 
the heart-sounds of the unborn child are in 
giving information otherwise difficult to 
obtain. They afford the best, and indeed 
the first absolutely certain, sign of the ex- 
istence of pregnancy ; and they enable us 
to foretell the number of children present. 



THE HYGIEKE OF PKEG^ANCY. 

The condition of pregnancy changes the 
physical and mental condition of the 
woman. Physiologically and morally, she 
is another being. Unlike her former self, 
she requires peculiar cares and precautions 
to preserve her health, and properly fulfil 
the great mission to which she is now de- 
voted. The hygiene of pregnancy, there- 
fore, includes these precautions and even 
sacrifices, which, in her own interests and 
those of her unborn child, are imposed 
upon the wife about to become a mother. 
Our task would be incomplete if, after 
having pointed out the physical conditions 
of a well-assorted marriage, and those laws 
of inheritance which promise a vigorous 
and comely family, we should neglect the 
care of the new being during the period of 
its embryotic life. Much may be done 

(159) 



160 A physician's counsels to woman. 

to secure the full and regular development 
of this living, though unborn and helpless, 
charge upon maternal tenderness. It has 
been appropriately said that sanitary science 
has habitually to contend with two oppo- 
nents, human passion and ignorance. "We 
believe that the most effective way of com- 
bating the former is by attacking the latter. 
In treating, however, of the sanitary rules 
of pregnancy, we feel sure of attention. 
"We enlist in our favor the strongest of all 
passions, that of maternal love. For, the 
wife who has conceived no longer belongs 
to herself; she is the guardian of a new life. 
The care of her health, hence, becomes a 
sacred duty which she cheerfully assumes. 

The Diet. 

The proper regulation of the amount and 
character of the daily food during preg- 
nancy is as difficult as it is important. The 
various troubles of digestion which are so 
apt to make their appearance in the early 
months, render it impossible to say in ad- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 161 

vance the exact quantity of food which may 
be proper. "While some have an appetite 
unhealthfully great, not a few have a re- 
pugnance for nourishment of any sort. 
The latter need the appetite excited; the 
former, to have it restrained within rea- 
sonable limits. Although it is true, as a 
general principle, that the wife, having 
now a new being to nourish, requires an 
increase in her own diet, this increase 
should only be made in accordance with 
the dictates of desire. Great injury is 
sometimes done by an enforced augmenta- 
tion in the number and amount of the meals, 
under the belief that this is always neces- 
sary. The effects of overloading of the 
stomach are often seen in permanent digest- 
ive troubles, which, of course, interfere with 
the growth of the child ; or in disorders of 
the blood, consequent upon the super- 
abundant nourishment. During the course 
of the fourth month there is frequently a 
notable increase in the appetite, which may, 
if care be not taken, lead to excesses in 
eating and drinking. These excesses should 

14* 



162 A PHYSICIAN'S counsels to woman. 

be guarded against, as they are hurtful. 
The appetite may be satisfied by smaller 
quantities of food taken at shorter intervals. 
During the last few months of pregnancy 
more nourishment is required. This should 
be obtained by adding to the number of the 
meals and improving their nutritive char- 
acter, and not by eating to repletion at each 
meal. The quantity of food taken should 
also be regulated by the possibility or im- 
possibility of taking exercise. If, because 
of swelling of the limbs or varicose veins, 
the woman is condemned to a sedentary life, 
she will expose herself, and consequently 
her child, to the dangers resulting from an 
excess of blood, if she be not careful to ad- 
just the amount of nourishment to the less- 
ened wastes of her system. 

In regard to the choice of food, this may 
ordinarily be left to custom and taste, when 
the wife is in the enjoyment of good health. 
When, however, she is suffering from 
plethora, an excess of blood, or from anaemia, 
an impoverishment of the blood, the diet 
should be suited to these opposite condi- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 163 

tions. These faults of the system are 
readily recognized; they are of frequent oc- 
currence. Their treatment is a matter of 
medicine as well as of hygiene. In severe 
cases the family physician will giye the 
proper directions. 

The wife ought to subordinate the mis- 
chievous suggestions of her palate to the 
interests of the child she carries, and not 
overload the stomach with heavy and indi- 
gestible articles, which can do her no good, 
and may do harm. An annoying craving 
for food is often complained of during the 
night or in the early hours of the morning. 
At such times a little coffee and milk, or a 
piece of biscuit and milk, will be found 
useful. The temperature of the food and 
drinks may likewise be left to the taste, if 
it be not perverted. The efficacy of iced 
drinks in checking nausea and vomiting, is 
well known. In some instances very hot 
drinks prove serviceable. 



164 A PHYSICIAN'S COUNSELS TO WO ¥A\ , 

The Dress. 

The wife, so soon as she becomes preg- 
nant, should cease to dress fashionably. 
The requirements of the fashionable world 
she has now nothing to do with. Her 
clothing should be so arranged as not to 
compress the abdomen, or the lower part 
of the chest. Hence the corset had better 
be abandoned after the first few months. 
and ought never be worn after the fifth or 
sixth month. If worn during the earlier 
months, it must be adapted to the changing 
form, never tightly laced, and the breasts 
and nipples carefully protected from com- 
pression or irritation. A neglect of these 
precautions, particularly in a first preg- 
nancy, may be followed by serious conse- 
quences. There are three reasons why the 
corset should be speedily thrown aside : it 
interferes with the movements of respira- 
tion; it lessens the space, already too small. 
for the other organs in the abdomen ; and 
it opposes the ascent of the enlarging 
uterus. The unborn child also mav sutler 



WOMAN A WIFE. 165 

from the vanity or ignorance of the mother. 
A number of distinguished physicians 
have reported cases of monstrosities clearly 
traceable to the influence of the corset. 
The development of the head of the infant 
is particularly apt to be arrested by this 
compression of the waist. The well-known 
greater prevalence of deformities among 
illegitimate children has been justly attri- 
buted to the injury inflicted upon the foetus 
through attempts to conceal the existence 
of pregnancy by tight-lacing. 

"While any compression or constriction 
of the abdomen is injurious, the uniform 
and systematic support of its walls, during 
the latter months of pregnancy, by an 
elastic, yielding bandage, which makes 1 
pressure from below upwards and inwards, 
will often be found of great service. But 
ordinarily nothing of the kind is required; 
when needed, the advice of the family 
physician had better be sought before pur- 
chasing any of the numerous " supporters" 
now everywhere offered for sale. 

One of the frequent annoyances of the 



166 A physician's counsels to woman. 



latter months of pregnancy is swelling of 
the lower limbs. This condition is often 
caused, or aggravated, by the wearing of 
tight garters or gaiters. If the garter be 
worn below the knee, a hurtful practice 
peculiar to American women, the injury 
resulting from the constriction is increased. 

Another disorder of advanced pregnancy 
is rheumatism of the womb. These rheu- 
matic pains, often so distressing, would be 
of much rarer occurrence if flannel drawers 
were more generally worn at this time. In 
our climate this precaution is of the utmost 
importance. 

That dress is the most healthful which 
affords the best protection against the 
weather, and is, at the same time, the most 
comfortable. The tyrannical demands of 
fashion, when opposed to these ends, should 
be during this period, so critical for mother 
and child, unheeded. 



WOMAN A WIPE. 167 

Air and Exercise. 

Unquestionably, a residence in the coun- 
try, during the months of pregnancy, is 
conducive to health, because of the pure air, 
the regular life, the freedom from social 
excitement, and the plain and healthful 
table found there more frequently than in 
the city. A removal from the city is not 
always practicable, and is only necessary 
when the health is very feeble. It is rather 
a matter of medicine than of hygiene, the 
family physician ought therefore to be con- 
sulted as to its propriety. 

A point, however, upon which the phy- 
sician unhappily is rarely consulted, is the 
regulation of the exercise taken during 
pregnancy. This is a matter of greater 
importance than may be apparent at first 
sight. Moderate exercise is favorable and 
desirable during all the months of preg- 
nancy ; it increases the appetite, improves 
the circulation of the blood, and gives tone 
to the nervous system. The promenade is 
useful, even in the last month, when it 



168 A physician's counsels to woman. 

tends to prevent attacks of headache, and 
congestions of the brain, to which one who 
leads a too sedentary life is then predis- 
posed, 

"While moderate exercise is useful, all 
excessive efforts or violent and sudden 
movements are, on the contrary, dangerous. 
Dancing, particularly in the round dances, 
is often a cause of miscarriage. It should 
be rigidly interdicted from the outset. 
Railway travelling ought also to be avoided. 
Walking or standing, prolonged to fatigue, 
may lead to an attack of flooding. 

The hours of sleep at night may, with 
advantage in most cases, be lengthened. 
Often, also, benefit will be derived from 
resting upon a lounge or sofa for an hour 
or two each day. This latter practice is 
strongly recommended during the earlier 
months for those liable to miscarriage. 

The house and bedchamber should be 
kept well ventilated, and light. Fresh air 
and sunshine cannot be too freely admitted, 
nor too highly valued. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 169 

The Nervous System. 

During pregnancy the nervous system 
is easily impressed, and readily thrown into 
violent excitement. Mental agitation is a 
very common cause of miscarriage. "We see, 
therefore, the value of a quiet life, and the 
paramount duty of guarding against the 
emotions and passions. Fictitious emotions 
produced by the sensational novel and 
drama, are no less injurious than the real. 
One of the triumphs of the melo-drama 
is, and that not rarely, the premature 
accouchement of the matrons profoundly 
moved by it. It does not stand alone in 
this respect, for it shares its power with 
that class of romances written with the sole 
object of exciting the horror and convul- 
sing the nerves of the reader. 

The depressing emotions, as fear and 
anxiety, are very hurtful. The avoidance 
of gloomy forebodings, by every effort in 
her power, is a duty which the mother owes 
to the child she carries. It is also the duty 
of all about her to second these efforts, and 

15 



170 A physician's counsels to woman. 

protect her from frightful and distressing 
scenes. This will be made more apparent 
after we have considered 



The Influence of the Mother's Mind on 
the Unborn Child. 

The causes which form " birth-marks," or 
"mother's-marks," have deeply interested 
the public and professional mind, from the 
days of the earliest antiquity. Hippocrates, 
who lived nearly five hundred years before 
Christ, admitted the influence of the imagi- 
nation of the mother upon the product of 
conception. His opinion was shared by all 
the physicians of ancient times, who col- 
lected many instances in confirmation of it. 
This opinion has always received the credit 
of the unprofessional public. But in the 
beginning of the last century it was vigor- 
ously attacked by some prominent members 
of the medical profession, and until quite 
recently fell into disrepute. It was regarded 
as a popular superstition, and all the facts 
explained as mere coincidences. 

Science has of late taken up anew the 



WOMAN A WIFE. 171 

investigation of this vexed question, and 
has signally proved the truth of the popu- 
lar belief, and the correctness of observation 
of the great Father of Medicine. Among 
the recent American authorities upon this 
subject we may mention Prof. "Wm, A. 
Hammond, of New York. In an able arti- 
cle he says, after passing in review a large 
number of authenticated examples of the 
influence of the maternal mind over the 
unborn child: "The chances of these in- 
stances, and others which I have mentioned, 
being due to coincidence, are infinitesimally 
small ; and though I am careful not to reason 
upon the principle of post hoc propter hoc, 
I cannot, nor do I think any other person 
can, no matter how logical may be his mind, 
reason fairly against the connection between 
cause and effect in such cases. The correct- 
ness of the facts only can be questioned; 
if these be accepted, the probabilities are 
thousands of millions to one that the rela- 
tion between the phenomena is direct." 

Professor Dalton, the well-known physi- 
ologist of New York, states, in his Human 



172 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Physiology, that " there is now little room 
for doubt that various deformities and defi- 
ciencies of the foetus, conformably to the 
popular belief, do really oi^iginate in certain 
cases from nervous impressions, such as 
disgust, fear, or anger, experienced by the 
mother." 

Dr. Seguin, the most prominent Ameri- 
can writer on idiocy, affirms : " Impressions 
will sometimes reach the foetus in its recess, 
cut off its legs or arms, or inflict large flesh 
wounds before birth, inexplicable as well as 
indisputable facts, from which we surmise 
that idiocy holds unknown though certain 
relations to maternal impressions." 

Dr. Napheys, of Philadelphia, says : " The 
view here stated" — that the maternal mind 
influences the unborn child — " and indorsed 
by modern science,, is one which ought to 
have great weight with the mother, her 
relatives and friends. The practical conclu- 
sion which it suggests is, that as during 
pregnancy there is unusual susceptibility 
to mental impressions, and as these impres- 
sions may operate on the fragile structure 



WOMAN A WIFE. 173 

of the unborn being, this tendency should 
be well considered and constantly remem- 
bered, not only by the woman herself, but 
by all those who associate or are thrown in 
contact with her." 

Prof. Carpenter, of London, Prof. Bou- 
chut, of Paris, and many other physiolo- 
gists and physicians of eminence, bear 
similar testimony. In illustration of their 
views, we append some of the principal 
facts observed by the authorities we have 
just mentioned. They are certainly of the 
highest importance. 

Prof. Carpenter, of London, quotes in 
illustration of facts of this class the state- 
ment of Baron Percy, as to what occurred 
after the siege of London in 1793. In addi- 
tion to a violent cannonading, which kept 
the women for some time in a constant state 
of alarm, the arsenal blew up with a terrific 
explosion, which few could hear with un- 
shaken nerves. Out of 92 children born in 
that district within a few months afterwards, 
Baron Percy states that 16 died at the in- 
stant of birth; 33 languished for from 

15* 



174 A physician's counsels to woman. 

eight to ten months and then died ; 8 be- 
came idiotic and died before the age of five 
years ; and 2 came into the world with nu- 
merous fractures of the bones of the limbs, 
caused by the cannonading and explosion. 
Here, then, is a total of 59 children out of 
92, or within a trifle of two out of every 
three, actually killed through the medium 
of the mother's alarm and the natural con- 
sequence upon her organization. This is 
an experiment (for such it is to the physi- 
ologist) upon too large a scale for its results 
to be set down to mere coincidences. 

Prof. Carnochan, of ]STew York city, has 
written an account of two cases of hare- 
lip, which, he says, he has "no doubt oc- 
curred from maternal impressions conveyed 
to the foetus." One, he states, by a dentist 
who roughly lifted the mother's upper lip 
at the sixth month of her pregnancy ; the 
other, by a female, then pregnant eight 
weeks, seeing two girls suddenly enter a 
room, who each had been imperfectly 
relieved by surgery of this deformity Q 
Prof. C. then adds : " I could proceed enu- 



. 



WOMAN A WIFE. 175 

merating cases of a similar character, prov- 
ing, as I believe, the positive influence of 
maternal impressions upon the foetus. I 
/ am disposed to the belief that the impres- 
sions have most effect during the early- 
periods of pregnancy." 

The late Prof. Valentine Mott, of New 
York city, stated that he knew a medical 
man who had a faithful and perfect picture 
of a pig, represented by a mother's mark, 
on his back. His mother, during preg- 
nancy, was frightened by a black pig sud- 
denly running from behind a currant-bush, 
whilst she was walking in her garden. 
Prof. Mott also removed, from the side of a 
lady, a mother's mark representing in every 
respect a veal-cutlet, with the appearance 
of grains of pepper on it. This preparation 
can be seen in Prof. Mott's museum. The 
history connected with the case is this : 
The lady's mother wished to eat a veal -cut- 
let, and sent her husband to procure one 5 
on his return without it, she felt greatly 
disappointed, and slapped her hand on her 
side, exclaiming, " O, my! what shall I do?" 






176 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The infant, on being born, was found to 
have the mark described, at a part corre- 
sponding with the part of her side she 
struck with her hand. 

Prof. Alfred C. Post, of New York, 
relates the case of a mother frightened by a 
mouse, which suddenly ran across the floor. 
Her child had " growing from the back of 
Its neck a little prolongation, an inch and a 
half in length, covered with silky hair, and 
bearing a striking resemblance to the tail 
of a mouse." 

MM. Grimaud de Caux and Martin St. 
Ange say, in regard to this matter : — 

"After fecundation is accomplished, the 
new being remains for nine months under 
the influence of the maternal organization. 
It constitutes a part of this organization, 
and consequently causes, of whatever nature, 
act both upon mother and child. Preg- 
nancy is a function of the woman, as are 
digestion and the acts of secretion of. vari- 
ous kinds; and if these latter are affected 
by moral impressions, why should not the 
former be also similarly acted upon? If 



WOMAN A WIFE. 177 

the composition of the blood be altered, is 
it possible that the foetus, which is being 
developed in the mother's womb by this 
"fluid should not undergo detrimental 
changes?" 

Dr. Alfred Meadows, Physician to the 
General Lying-in Hospital of London, in a 
paper entitled "Case of Monstrosity, with 
Remarks on the Influence of Maternal Im- 
pressions on the Foetus in Utero," which 
was read and discussed before the Obstet- 
rical Society of London, says, in defending 
his view of the power of maternal mental 
impressions over the unborn child :— 

"Further, it has been objected to the view 
here taken, that if the assumed cause, ma- 
ternal imagination, were really the efficient 
agent, the resemblance between the idea 
and the fact ought to be greater than it 
often is. I do not think the objection a 
valid one, because the amount of deformity 
only shows the degree to which force has, 
as it were, conquered matter, and how far 
it has failed of its object; it proves. no- 
thing more. 



178 A physician's counsels to woman. 

"Great stress has also been laid on the 
fact that during the earlier weeks of foetal 
life the relation between the foetus and the 
parent is one of simple contact ; hence it is 
argued that no mental impression could 
reach it to produce the effects described, 
and yet many of these deformities must 
have commenced about this period. I 
think I have already answered part of this 
objection ; and as to the latter, of course it 
is not pretended that mental impressions 
are the only, but that they are an occasional, 
cause of bodily deformity. 

"Again, it is urged that the fact that 
monstrosities occur among the lower ani- 
mals is proof against this theory, because it 
would be ridiculous to suppose them to be 
the sport of mental emotions. I can only 
say, in reply, that I have no more doubt of 
the existence of mental emotions in the 
lower animals than I have in the case of 
man ; and I think any one who has studied 
the lives of domesticated animals, and has 
watched them during the period of preg- 
nancy, must have seen how very emotional 



WOMAN A WIFE. 179 

they are, and what solicitude and care they 
often exhibit at such times. 

"Until, therefore, some other explanation 
is offered of the many cases of monstrosity 
which crowd medical literature than that 
they are mere freaks of nature, I for one am 
prepared to 'accept the doctrine that among 
the many causes of bodily deformity the 
influence of the mind of the mother de- 
serves a by no means unimportant place." 

"We could readily extend our list of well- 
authenticated cases of mother's marks, 
carefully observed and investigated by 
scientific men, clearly traceable to strong 
mental emotion in the mother before the 
birth of the child. "We merely wish to 
observe again, as a fact of great practical 
moment, that the highest medical authori- 
ties now consider that the popular belief 
in the relation between maternal impres- 
sions during pregnancy and birth-marks is 
fully sustained. 

The mind of the child, as well as its body, 
may be affected by the mental agitation of 
its mother. Dr. Seguin, in his treatise 



180 A physician's counsels to woman. 

upon idiocy, gives the history of a number 
of idiots, whose misfortune was due to 
fright, anxiety, or other strong emotion of 
the mother. Can we attribute to the terror 
which Mary Stuart experienced on seeing 
Eizzo assassinated in her arms, while she 
was pregnant with James the First, the 
fright that this prince always showed upon 
the sight of a naked sword? Did the 
artist Flaxman owe his wonderful skill in 
drawing to the attentive study of the best 
works of art sedulously ^ pursued by his 
mother during the months preceding his 
birth ? The many analogous facts which 
have been observed would lead us to answer 
these questions in the affirmative. 



• Precautions during Pregnancy in the 
Interests of the Child. 

From what we have said of the impressi- 
bility of the nervous system during the 
whole period of pregnancy, and of the 
possible effects of mental and moral emo- 
tions upon the body and mind of the off- 



WOMAN A WIFE. 181 

spring, practical conclusions are readily 
drawn. As disgusting or terrifying sights 
may make indelible marks upon the foetus, 
all exposure to them should be guarded 
against. As, on the contrary, pleasing 
objects, cheerful and inspiring thoughts, 
mould its mind and morals, ought they 
not to be invoked as a powerful means of 
educating the child before its birth? The 
education of the child in the womb is no 
chimerical idea. It is real and practical. 
It always takes place, through the maternal 
mind, whether it be intelligently directed 
or not. This education is the most potent 
the child will ever receive. Its effects are 
ineradicable. 

Contact with contagious diseases, es- 
pecially smallpox, erysipelas, and chicken- 
pox, which are apt to mark the child, should 
be avoided. Nature aids the mother in her 
efforts to escape contagion by rendering 
her less susceptible to morbid influences 
during pregnancy than at any other ,time. 

16 



182 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Is Pregnancy Useful or Hurtful to Female 
Health and Beauty? 

It has been said by a distinguished writer 
upon hygiene, Prof. Michel Levy, that 
human life acquires more tenacity by the 
trials to which it is submitted, provided 
these be not of a nature to break the 
courage or paralyze the will. Pregnancy 
is one of those trials which strengthen the 
health of the woman, if it be not already 
too much impaired. It is evident, from 
natural laws, that woman was intended to 
become a mother, just as man is incomplete 
until he has obtained the title of father. 
It would, therefore, appear only rational 
that the accomplishment of the mysterious 
function of reproduction should be for both 
sexes a condition of good health. 

Dr. Levy, after enumerating, in his 
"Traite d'Hygiene," the sanitary advan- 
tages of marriage, says : " Finally, and as 
if to more earnestly solicit the reproduction 
of the species, nature has placed on the 
side of maternity the greatest chances for 



WOMAN A WIFE. 183 

health and long life ; celibacy is sadder for 
women than for men ; female convents con- 
tain a greater number of sick and invalids 
than male convents. Fecundation and 
pregnancy strengthen the female constitu- 
tion. "Who has not remarked the flourish- 
ing health of wives, mothers of numerous 
children, in contrast with the withering 
and fading influence of sterility?" 

Another distinguished writer upon the 
laws of health, Dr. Becquerel, is of the 
same opinion. He states : "Notwithstand- 
ing the disorders which attach to preg- 
nancy, childbirth, and miscarriages, the 
duration of life is longer with married 
women than with maidens." 

If pregnancy be favorable to female 
health and longevity, as all experience and 
authority assert, is it also favorable to the 
preservation of comeliness of face and form? 

This question is not a light one. We 
ask, and shall answer it, in all seriousness. 
Personal beauty is woman's peculiar attri- 
bute and power. It is her duty to cultivate 
and preserve this gift of nature. There are, 






184 A PHYSICIAN'S counsels to woman. 

without doubt, other and higher duties to 
which she should sacrifice this, if need be ; 
but we shall find that the laws of nature, 
here as elsewhere framed with admirable 
wisdom, do not intend that woman shall 
find in maternity an enemy to her physical 
beauty. 

The young girl has personal attractions 
to which the world bows in admiring hom- 
age; the wife, a m'other, has hers, which 
often yield in nothing to the former. The 
physical advantages with which the young 
girl is endowed do not disappear, they are 
only modified. 

During the condition of pregnancy, it is 
true, the freshness of the complexion is 
often lost, and the eyes fail of their accus- 
tomed yiyacity and brilliancy; but after the 
birth of the child, these accidents cease to" 
exist, and the wife refinds her pristine 
splendor. And it frequently happens that 
certain women are never so beautiful as 
during the latter months of pregnancy. 

From what has been said, we see that 
there are* many advantages on the side of 



WOMAN A WIFE. 185 

maternity; indeed, it could not be other- 
wise without placing nature in contradic- 
tion with herself. Meanwhile, we shall not 
attempt to conceal the fact that there are 
some grave inconveniences connected with 
this condition, which we shall presently 
study, in the hope of suggesting means of 
prevention and amelioration; but it must 
not be lost sight of that these inconveni- 
ences are amply compensated for by the 
incontestable advantages which the wife- 
mother enjoys. • 



Influence of Pregnancy on the Intellectual 
Faculties. 

It has been said that woman can only 
arrive at the complete and effective de- 
velopment of her intellectual faculties 
after having become a mother. Maternity 
seems to secure a certain harmony of rela- 
tion between the physical and moral na- 
tures. If we consult statistics, we find that 
celibacy appears to exert a sad influence on 
the intellectual faculties of the woman, for 

16* 



186 A physician's counsels to woman. 

among the insane we find a greater num- 
ber of women unmarried than married. 
"Whilst this can in part be accounted for by 
other causes, there can be no doubt that 
celibacy itself acts as a real and powerful 
cause. 

In a happy marriage, crowned by mater- 
nity, new sentiments develop themselves 
in the wife. She becomes calmer and more 
tranquil. It is then that she acquires all 
her talents, that she arrives at the summit 
of her intellectual and moral development. 
In the general quietude of all her func- 
tions, thought is more active ; in a word, 
all the powers of her life receive a new 
and salutary impulse. She becomes more 
capable of high conception* and of acts of 
self-sacrifice. She becomes less readily 
embarrassed; her timidity changes to as- 
surance, to boldness in time of need. She 
is less expansive, more concentrated in her 
domestic life, more occupied with her family 
affairs than with the pleasures of the world. 
She has found her sphere, and moves with 



WOMAN A WIFE. 187 

a tranquil and assured step, satisfied with 
her destiny. 

We have not sketched an ideal woman. 
"We have merely stated the habitual effects 
of maternity. We have, given, in general 
terms, its tendency; the exceptions, the 
digressions from nature, do not concern 
us. A bad education, an unhappy temper, 
or unfortunate circumstances, may bring 
about other results. But the natural and 
the ordinary effects of maternity upon the 
mental and moral nature are most happy 
and salutary. 



THE PEEILS OF PKEGNANCY. 



"We have been speaking hitherto only of 
the beneficial influence of pregnancy on the 
physical and mental constitution of the 
woman. At the same time, we have ac- 
knowledged that it exposes her to certain 
perils. The great change which it occa- 
sions in her whole organization predisposes 
her to new maladies. These we shall now 
consider. Our previous remarks on the ad- 
vantages of maternity show that although, 
as we are about to see, pregnancy exposes 
to certain affections, it saves also from 
others, to which the wife would otherwise 
have been subject. 

Maternity is in general, as has been 
stated, a cause of long life, notwithstand- 
ing that childbirth sometimes proves fatal. 
The mortality in confinement is, however, 
very slight when the wife has the comforts 
(188) 



WOMAN A WIFE. 189 

and favoring influences of a home. In hos- 
pital practice, for various reasons which we 
will not here detail, the loss of life is much 
greater. It increases in proportion to the 
number of inmates in the hospital. 

Puerperal mania is one of the most 
serious of the maladies which are peculiar 
to childbirth. It may develop itself dur- 
ing pregnancy, immediately after confine- 
ment, or during the period of nursing. It 
occurs, however, much more frequently 
after confinement than before. In the ma- 
jority of instances it presents itself within 
the first few days after the birth of the 
child. "When it is developed during preg- 
nancy, it usually takes the form of melan- 
cholia, i.e., morbidly low spirits ; with those 
recently confined, mania, i.e., morbid ex- 
citement, is more frequent than melan- 
cholia. 

This loss of mind is rarely permanent. 
The cure is ordinarily effected within a 
short time after the confinement. The ap- 
pearance of this disease should not, there- 
fore, excite unnecessary alarm. 



190 A PHYSICIANS COUXSELS TO WOMAN". 

When the mental alienation commences 
during pregnancy, it frequently happens 
that it disappears on the birth of the child. 
Some wives have a certain degree of men- 
tal disease during every pregnancy, which 
vanishes completely after each delivery. 

The causes of this affection are various. 
One of the most frequent is hereditary pre- 
disposition to insanity. Nearly or quite 
one-half of the recorded cases have oc- 
curred in those in whose family there is a 
tendency to insanity. Exhaustion of body 
and distress of mind are the ordinary causes 
in those not predisposed to the disease by 
family taint. Hence, we see again the im- 
portance of keeping a careful guard upon 
the condition of the health, in accordance 
with the general principles stated in the 
chapter on the " Hygiene of Pregnancy." 

A question which is often discussed in 
this connection is the probable consequence 
of pregnancy upon a woman previously 
subject to mental aberration. Some medi- 
cal writers have accorded to pregnancy a 
powerful remedial influence in cases of 



WOMAN A WIFE. 191 

mental disorder; others have hesitated to 
accord to it any good effects whatever upon 
the diseased mind. Perhaps the opinion 
of one of the wisest of the authorities 
upon insanity, Dr. Esquirol, expresses the 
truth: "Pregnancy, confinement, nursing, 
are among the means by which nature 
sometimes terminates insanity; but I be- 
lieve these terminations are rare." 

The influence of 'pregnancy upon chronic 
and recent diseases, already existing or 
acquired before or immediately after con- 
finement, is sometimes favorable, sometimes 
hurtful. We cannot pass in review all 
these affections, but will mention a few. 
The diseased condition, while it is modified 
by the pregnancy, also in turn reacts upon 
it. Thus, acute diseases of all kinds are 
apt to occasion miscarriage. On the con- 
trary, according to some authors, chronic 
affections prolong the term of the preg- 
nancy, on account of the general debility 
they occasion. In such cases the infant 
acquires greater development before its 
birth. For this reason it has been asserted 



192 A physician's counsels to woman. 

that the children of women with consump- 
tion are at birth unusually large. These 
facts are not fully established, and the in- 
fluence of chronic diseases in lengthening 
the duration of pregnancy is not a constant 
one. 

It sometimes happens that pregnancy 
aggravates a certain malady in one woman, 
while it proves favorable to it in another. 
This is due to the fact that the disease 
has, in the two cases, a very different 
origin. Take, for instance, hysteria. In 
some hysterical women pregnancy increases 
the disorder; in others it ameliorates it, and 
may even effect a radical cure. "Why is 
this ? For the simple reason that the dis- 
order has its seat in the brain in the one 
instance, and in the other it is dependent 
upon an irritable condition of the womb. 
Here, however, we touch upon a purely 
medical question, for it often requires the 
exercise of the highest skill of the physi- 
cian to distinguish the one form from the 
other. 

Pregnancy may prove a means of cure 



WOMAN A WIFE. 193 

in cases of bleeding from the lungs, from 
the nose, and in other hemorrhages from 
parts distant from the uterus, while it is 
apt to aggravate those which have their 
seat near it. 

Chills and fever are less apt to be con- 
tracted during pregnancy than at any other 
time. They often cease under its influence. 
If they continue in a severe form, they 
ordinarily produce miscarriage. 

The eruptive fevers are much more grave 
during the pregnant state. Smallpox in 
particular has its mortality greatly in- 
creased. An extraordinary fact in this 
connection, which is testified to by many 
of the best medical witnesses, is that the 
foetus alone may be affected during its 
intra-uterine life, while the mother does not 
contract the disease. In these cases the 
mother, proof herself against the epidemic, 
serves as a means of communication be- 
tween the virus and her unborn child, 
which may be born marked with the dis-? 
ease. 

Scarlet fever is less grave for both the 

17 



194 A physician's counsels to woman - . 



mother and child. It produces sometimes, 
however, abortion, and then places the life 
of the mother in danger. 

Measles cause, it is said, miscarriage in 
about one-half of the cases in which they 
occur during pregnancy. 

Those who expose themselves while preg- 
nant to lead-poisoning, are very subject to 
miscarriage. 

Diseases of the skin sometimes disappear 
during pregnancy, and reappear after con- 
finement. The union of the ends of frac- 
tured bones is also sometimes suspended 
during the whole continuance of pregnancy ; 
while, after confinement, it takes place 
quickly. 

Notwithstanding the accidents, compli- 
cations, and even disease, to which wives 
are exjDosed in becoming mothers, we can 
again assert, with Dr. Michel Levy, that 
nature has placed on the side of maternity 
the best chances for health and longevity. 
a.t is necessary, however, in order that this 
may be the case, that the woman shall have 
attained her growth before she becomes a 



WOMAN A WIFE. 195 

wife and mother, and that she shall have 
no advanced disease of any organ. Under 
these conditions pregnancy is followed by 
an increase of strength, and often proves a 
valuable means of averting a threatening 
disorder. 

The Treatment of Morning Sickness. 

"We have already spoken of morning 
sickness as one of the signs of pregnancy. 
To a greater or less extent it may then be 
expected in every case. It is only in those 
instances in which the nausea and vomiting 
are excessive or prolonged that treatment 
is required to keep them in check. 

Vomiting may not be present during the 
whole course of the pregnancy. On the 
other hand, it may appear almost on the 
very day of conception. The following 
case is recorded by a prominent physician. 
" I had once a lady under my care, in whom 
there was reason to believe that the morning 
sickness began the day after conception, 
and the date of her labor corresponded to 



196 A physician's counsels to woman. 



such belief. More recently I attended a 
patient who was married on a Monday and 
began to be squeamish on Saturday; her 
delivery took place within nine months." 

Ordinarily, the sickness and efforts at 
vomiting are noticed immediately on rising 
from bed in the morning, and continue for a 
quarter of an hour to an hour. Sometimes, 
however, the nausea is only felt after eating, 
and may be postponed until evening, the 
patient being sick during the night instead 
of the morning. 

The sickness does not always pass away 
in the course of an hour's time. It may 
persist all day and during the whole period 
of pregnancy. These cases are those in 
particular which require medical aid, for 
the patient's health is endangered by the 
constant nausea, which prevents her from 
taking or retaining food. 

A large number of remedies have been 
suggested and used with varying success 
in the treatment of morning sickness. 

Very frequently, great advantage will be 
obtained by placing over the stomach a 



WOMAN A WIFE. 197 

cloth wet with laudanum or with chloro- 
form. The application of a cloth satu- 
rated with laudanum sometimes succeeds 
when every form of medicine given inter- 
nally has failed. 

A wineglass of columbo tea (made by 
adding half an ounce of powdered columbo 
to the pint of boiling water), before each 
meal, will often prove of service. 

A tablespoonful of lemon-juice mixed 
with a tablespoonful of cold water, and 
taken several times a day, will be found 
useful. So also with a tablespoonful each 
of lime-water and milk two or three times 
a day. 

The application of a Mister or of a tur- 
pentine stupe or a mustard poultice to the 
stomach is often attended with great benefit. 

Powdered charcoal is a harmless and, in 
some cases, a valuable remedy. It should 
be given in very fine powder (willow char- 
coal being chosen). The dose is twenty 
grains every two or three hours until the 
desired effect has been obtained. It will 
make the stools very black, a fact which 

17* 



198 A physician's counsels to woman. 

should be known, to prevent unnecessary 
alarm. 

Iced water is a very pleasant and some- 
times very beneficial beverage. Ice pills 
are also found useful in checking the 
vomiting. On the other hand, very hot 
drinks have the desired effect with some 
persons. • 

The following recipe is a very valuable 
one : — 

Take of— 

Citric acid 24 grains, 

Simple syrup .... 1 ounce, 

Water 1J ounce. 

Mix and put in a bottle labelled No. 1. 

Then take of— 

Bicarbonate of potassa . 36 grains, 

Water . 2J ounces. 

Mix and put in a bottle labelled No. 2. 

Take first a tablespoonful of No. 1, and 
then a like dose of ]STo. 2. 

As to the diet, the principal thing is 
to allow the patient to eat whatever she 
may fancy and whenever she may desire it. 
Every hour, or even when there is much 



WOMAN A WIFE. 199 

debility every half hour, a small quantity 
of some nourishing food should be taken, 
such as a tablespoonful of milk, a biscuit, 
or a piece of cake flavored with ginger. 
By giving small quantities of plain simple 
but nutritious food at a time, and at those 
hours when the stomach is least irritable, 
a sufficient amount of nourishment may be 
afforded. If the case resists the remedies 
we have mentioned, and the vomiting is so 
severe as to prevent all nourishment, medi- 
cal assistance is demanded, for the trouble 
is of an unusual and serious character. 

Marital Relations during Pregnancy. 

Moderation should always be observed 
during the whole of this period in the rela- 
tion between husband and wife. Conjugal 
relations, at this time, have been condemned 
altogether by some. This asceticism is, in 
general, unnecessary. There are certain 
circumstances, however, under which inter- 
course is hurtful. There are, also, certain 
precautions to be noted. Those wives 



200 A physician's counsels to woman. 

liable to miscarriage, and particularly those 
who have aborted during the first preg- 
nancy, should sleep apart from their hus- 
bands for the first four or five months after 
conception. 

Intercourse ought to be avoided during 
those days of the month when, if there were 
no pregnancy, the monthly sickness would 
have been present. This caution is an im- 
portant one; its disregard is a frequent 
cause of miscarriage. 

After a miscarriage, marital relations 
should not be resumed until a least a 
month has elapsed. Much suffering, and 
many tedious diseases of the womb, can 
often be traced to a violation of this 
hygienic rule. 

After confinement, two months should 
pass before the resumption of the customary 
marital privileges. 

How to ascertain the Probable Date of 
Confinement. 



Many mothers are in the habit of calcu- 
lating the time of their expected labor from 



WOMAN A WIFE. 201 

the period of quickening. This method is 
a very uncertain one, on many accounts. 
A much more accurate date of departure, 
in making the calculation, is the day on 
which the last monthly sickness ceased. By 
subtracting three months, and adding seven 
days to this date, the month and day of the 
confinement will be obtained. Let us 
illustrate this by an example. "We will 
suppose that the day on which the last 
monthly sickness disappeared was the 20th 
of February. By subtracting three months, 
we have November 20th; and by adding 
seven days, we arrive at the 27th of No- 
vember as the exact date of the confine- 
ment. It will be found that November 
27th is two hundred and eighty days dis- 
tant from February 20th. Forty weeks, 
or two hundred and eighty days, is the 
average duration of pregnancy. This man- 
ner of counting is more convenient and 
accurate than any other which has ever 
been suggested. 



PART III. 



With the birth of her child, the wife 
has become a mother. A new being im- 
plores her care, and she enters upon the 
great mission of her life. She needs now 
more than thoughtless tenderness, or blind 
zeal, to enable her to perform well her 
maternal duties. She requires a knowledge 
of the elementary laws of health. "Without 
it, how can she with safety take charge of 
her child at the very threshold of its life. 
Yet, it is just this knowledge which she is 
most apt to lack. It is the one branch of 
her education, the most certain to have 
been neglected. Although she may have 
been instructed in the accomplishments of 
fashion, and may even be able to sew with 
(203) 



204 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Penelope, or to make preserves with the 
daughters of the Yicar of "Wakefield, yet, 
in all that pertains to maternity, she 
scarcely knows more than nature has 
taught her. "We shall, therefore, be some- 
what minute in our counsels to the young 
mother, in regard both to the care of her 
own health, while nursing, and the proper 
manner of preserving that of her new-born 
child. First we will inquire into the 
reasons. 



Why a Mother should Nurse Her Own 
Child. 

The child during nine months has been 
nourished directly by the blood of the 
mother. It now demands her milk, as well 
as her cares. Not without the strongest 
reason, and the fullest concurrence of the 
family physician, should the mother with- 
hold herself from this tender office. The 
mothers of ancient times never lightly 
transferred to another this duty. Even 
those of noble birth nursed their own chil- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 205 

dren. Thus, we read that Sarah (whose 
name in Hebrew signifies princess and 
indicates noble birth) herself nursed Isaac, 
notwithstanding her advanced age when 
he was born. So, also, Hecuba nursed 
Hector; and Penelope, Telemaque. The 
laws of Lycurgus strictly enjoined this 
duty. Demosthenes, in one of his orations, 
publicly blames some mothers who neg- 
lected to nurse their children without being 
able to assign any serious reasons. 

At Eome, maternal nursing was at first 
held in great honor, but later the matrons 
renounced it, and had recourse to wet- 
nurses. This was carried to such an extent 
as to excite the lively indignation of 
Juvenal, and to call forth eloquent protes- 
tations from St. Ambrose and St. Chry- 
sostom. In this connection, we may call 
attention to a remarkable discourse, attri- 
buted to the philosopher Faverinus, on the 
moral obligation of the mother to nurse her 
own child. x As it affords an excellent page 
of hygiene, and a curious picture of Roman 
customs at that epoch, we translate it. 

18 



206 A physician's counsels to woman. 

"One came to announce, says Aulu- 
Gelle, to the philosopher Favorinus, and in 
our presence, that the wife of one of his 
auditors had just been confined, and given 
birth to a son. 'Let us go,' said he im- 
mediately, Ho see the mother, and con- 
gratulate the father.' The family was a 
noble one, which had given some senators 
to the country. "We all followed Favo- 
rinus ; we accompanied him to the door of 
the house, and entered with him. He met 
the father in the vestibule, embraced and 
congratulated him, and then seated himself. 
He inquired whether the labor had been 
slow and tedious, and, having learned that 
the young mother, fatigued by her vigils 
and pains, was sleeping, he gave freer play 
to his words. 'I doubt not,' said he, 'she 
is disposed to nourish her son with her own 
milk.' The mother of the young wife* 
having replied that it was necessary to use 



* How true to life is this scene, and how like is the 
mother of that time to those whom we now meet every 
day at the bedside of their daughters 1 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 207 

some management, and to give the child to 
the wet-nurse, in order not to add the 
fatigue of nursing to the sufferings through 
which her daughter had just passed: 'I beg 
you, woman," replied Favorinusj Ho permit 
your daughter to be entirely the mother of 
her son. To give birth, and then imme- 
diately separate from herself the being she 
has just brought into the world, is not that 
wrong and contrary to nature? Such a 
one is only half a mother, for, after having 
nourished within her a being that she sees 
not, she refuses it her milk, when she clasps 
it in her arms, living and imploring the 
maternal breast. If she who destroys her 
infant before its birth merits public hate 
and execration, scarcely less culpable is 
she who refuses the infant, born at full 
term, this nourishment from her blood, a 
nourishment to which it has become accus- 
tomed. But what matters it, say some, 
provided it lives and is nourished, at whose 
breast it is placed. They who are so deaf 
to the voice of nature as to utter this lan- 
guage, do they not, also, think what matters 



208 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 

it in what body and from what blood the 
child is formed? There is another con- 
sideration which must not be overlooked. 
Is it not true that mothers who abandon 
and send from them their infants to be 
nursed by others, destroy, or at least relax, 
the tender tie by which nature unites the 
soul of the infants to that of the parents? 
A child placed out to nurse is scarcely less 
forgotten than one dead. And if it can 
yet love its father and mother, this love is 
not the effect of nature, but the fruit of 
society and opinion." 

This language is severe. But may it not 
be taken to heart, with advantage, by some 
of the votaries of fashion and pleasure of 
our own day and country? 

"We believe, however, that the majority 
of American women do not need to be ex- 
horted and stimulated to nurse their own 
children. It has been our lot to more fre- 
quently meet with mothers whom it is ne- 
cessary to restrain, in their own interests 
and those of their babes, from the exercise 
of this loving function, upon which they 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 209 

themselves insist. A mother cannot nour- 
ish her child with her affection only; 
she must have milk, and in order to have 
milk she must have a certain degree at least 
of health, and above all regular and steady- 
health, such as is not at the mercy of every 
emotion or slight loss of sleep. It is well, 
therefore, to know those circumstances 
under which the young mother should be 
urged to keep her child at her own breast, 
and those under which she should be dis- 
suaded from it, and asked, for the sake of 
her child, to hush the voice of her heart 
and listen to reason. Hence we shall pass 
in review the qualities which should be pos- 
sessed by the mother to enable her satis- 
factorily to nurse her child; those which 
render nursing difficult ; and, finally, those 
which forbid it altogether. 



What the Mother Needs to Fit her to 
Nurse her Child. 

It is difficult to define exactly, in gene- 
ral terms, the conditions of health which 

18* 



210 A physician's counsels to woman. 



the mother should possess to enable her to 
suckle her child. She requires less an ap- 
pearance of robust strength than a consti- 
tution free from hereditary taint. The 
question is one of great gravity. There 
are some mothers who appear delicate and 
yet make excellent nurses, if they only 
exercise discretion and intelligence. The 
first three months of life are the most 
perilous to the existence of the new-born 
child. Nearly all mothers, excepting those 
affected by constitutional disease, are capa- 
ble of giving the breast during this time 
at least, without fatigue, if they follow a 
suitable regimen, and nurse only at certain 
hours and regular interval s." 

Is"ot only should the mother nurse the 
child, if her health permit, because she 
thus secures the best interests of her in- 
fant, and guards it against the dangers 
which attend wet-nursing or raising by 
hand, but also because she thus benefits 
herself. She is contributing to her own 
physical vigor. It is a function necessary, 



THE WIFE A MOTHEE. 211 

or at least very useful, to her health after 
childbirth. 

What Makes Nursing Difficult. 

Depressions or deficiencies of the nipple 
oppose an obstacle to the proper adjust- 
ment of the lips of the child. They rarely, 
however, prevent nursing altogether, as they 
may be remedied by the physician in at- 
tendance. The mother should prevent such 
an occurrence by attention during the last 
months of pregnancy to the condition of 
the breasts. 

Cracks and fissures of the nipples are 
more troublesome, and may present an in- 
surmountable barrier to the continuance of 
nursing. The mother should not give up 
in despair too quickly. A little persever- 
ance in the remedies which will be ordered, 
and a willingness to endure for a while the 
pain, will generally be rewarded by a cure. 
All these sufferings may be avoided by the 
observance of those cares of the parts 
which we have enjoined prior to the birth 
of the child. 



212 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 

What Forbids Nursing. 

Unquestionably, if the mother be suf- 
fering from pulmonary consumption, she 
should not take her child to her breast. If, 
although there be no marked signs of dis- 
ease, the mother is manifestly so feebly 
constituted that she will not be able to 
sustain to the end its fatigues, she should 
not impose upon herself this maternal 
duty. Here, however, the advice of the 
family physician should be sought, with 
the intention of being guided by it. The 
same rule of conduct is proper in cases of 
suspected hereditary tendencies. As a 
general principle, the existence of a chronic 
disease, which has to any considerable 
extent broken down the vital force of 
the mother, forbids lactation. "We arrive 
therefore at the following 

Conclusions Relative to Maternal Nuraing. 

1st. The mother ought to nurse her child 
when she is able. It is a duty which her 



THE WIFE A MOTHEE. 213 

nature and conscience impose upon her. 
It is conducive to the physical and moral 
well-being of herself and her infant. 

2d. The mother ought not to undertake 
this charge when her health would suffer 
by the attempt. She should be guided as 
to this by intelligent medical counsel. 

3d. "When there exists neither in the 
family nor the person of the mother any 
scrofulous or other hereditary disease; when 
she shows no tendency to consumption nor 
other chronic malady; when she has ordi- 
nary flesh and strength; when her appetite 
and digestion are good ; when she is readily 
refreshed by food and sleep ; when her milk 
is good in quality and in sufficient quan- 
tity — then, not only is nursing permissible, 
but it ought to be counselled and encou- 
raged, for the best nurse for the child, in 
such a case, is the mother herself. 

Important Hygienic Pacts and Rules. 

"We believe that there are many princi- 
ples of hygiene, bearing upon the nature 



214 A physician's counsels to woman. 

of the mother's milk, and the influences 
which modify it, and upon the proper 
manner of nursing, which every woman 
should know. They concern the health of 
the child at the time when it is most frail. 
All animals seem to know better than our- 
selves how to take care of their newly-born 
offspring. "With us ignorant solicitude is 
not rarely as hurtful as wilful neglect. 
When we reflect that a day with an infant 
has more influence upon its ultimate health 
than a month with an adult, we see the 
advantages and the evils which may result 
from the various methods of nursing, wean- 
ing, etc., and the importance of correct 
knowledge in securing the sound physical 
education of infancy. 

Holding these views, we shall devote a 
number of pages of our book to the san- 
itary rules which concern the mother and 
her child during the period of nursing and 
infancy. 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 215 

How Soon after Birth should the 
Mother give the Breast? 

"We reply, so soon as the mother has 
recovered a little from the fatigues of the 
confinement. Two, four, or six hours suf- 
fice for this purpose. A prejudice is 
frequently met with which would deny the 
hreast for twenty-four, thirty-six, or forty- 
eight hours, quieting the cries of the infant 
with some sugar and water, tea, or other 
preparation, more or less injurious. A few 
hours of repose for the mother and child, 
after the birth, before commencing to nurse, 
are beneficial. During this time, the mouth 
of the child should be cleansed from mucus, 
and prepared to receive the nipple. 

There are three reasons why the infant 
should be placed thus early to the breast. 
First, its efibrts at nursing will, through 
sympathy, occasion contractions of the 
womb, and so secure the mother against the 
danger of flooding. Secondly, nursing will 
guard against the sudden engorgement of 
the breast, and the violent milk fever, to 



216 A physician's counsels to woman. 

which the mother is otherwise exposed, on 
the second or third day-. Thirdly, the first 
secretion which the breast contains (called 
colostrum) is a mild purgative. The child 
needs it to free its bowels from their con- 
tents (called meconium). The child, also, 
escapes being dosed by officious attend- 
ants with the noxious preparations ordi- 
narily offered it, if it be not provided at 
once with its appropriate nourishment. 



Precautions in giving the Breast. 

The infant is placed at the breast, but it 
will not nurse. There may be three causes 
for this : — 

1st. The child does not Jcnow how. It 
must be taught by placing the nipple in 
the mouth, after first cleansing it with a 
little tepid water. Care must be taken that 
its nostrils are not obstructed by the breast. 
Sometimes the face of the child is so applied 
to the breast that it is unable to breathe 
through the nose at all, or only with difii- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 217 

culty, obliging it every moment to quit its 
hold of the nipple, in order to respire,. 

2d. The child is not able to sucJcle be- 
cause of a want of activity, or a condition 
of feebleness. In such a case, the mother 
should place the nipple in the mouth, and 
solicit a flow of the milk. It sometimes 
happens that all attempts of this kind, to 
induce the child to drink, fail ; and as, at 
the same time, it does not cry, but sleeps 
continually, without seeming to want any- 
thing, the mother respects this repose, 
which seems to her restorative, and a sign 
of health. "When, however, at the end of 
several hours, the attempt is made to 
awaken it to put it at the breast, the child 
utters feeble cries, and it is evident that it 
is beginning to get cold. It is necessary 
now to commence and continue every effort 
to excite the circulation of the blood. The 
child should be disrobed before a warm fire, 
and the surface of the body rubbed with 
warm flannels, dry or moistened with brandy, 
and slapped with the hands. Renewed 
efforts should be made to induce it to nurse, 

19 



218 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 



and, if these fail with the mother, recourse 
should be had, if possible, to another whose 
milk flows more easily. These directions 
are for guidance in the absence of the 
physician, who should be summoned in 
such an emergency without delay. 

3d. The child is not able to suckle be- 
cause of a defective condition of the lips, 
gums, tongue, or the entire mouth. In this 
case, of course, the advice of the surgeon 
is to be immediately sought, so soon as an 
examination, which ought to be made, 
shows there is something wrong. Or the 
child may not be able to nurse because of 
a bad habit it has of pressing the tongue 
constantly against the palate. This is par- 
ticularly apt to occur with children who 
have not been applied early to the breast. 
The nipple, in such instances, is received 
between the lower portion of the tongue 
and the floor of the mouth. All that is 
necessary is to depress the tongue with the 
little finger, for the first few times, until 
the habit is broken. 

There are some infants who are slow in 



THE WIEE A MOTHER. 219 

deciding to nurse. An effective way of 
stimulating their desires is to cause a few 
drops of milk to run into their mouth, 
when, finding it to be pleasant, they will 
willingly seize the nipple. 

The mother should give successively first 
the one and then the other breast, so as to 
empty them equally and not fatigue one 
nipple more than the other. 

As soon as the infant ceases to nurse, be 
it awake or asleep, the nipple should be 
withdrawn from its mouth. Above all, the 
child should not be accustomed to go to 
sleep only at the breast of the mother. 

Which is the best Position in which to 
Nurse ? 

Prof. Cazeaux,the world-renowned French 
obstetrician, recommends the mother always 
to lie down on the side corresponding to 
the breast which she offers, the nipple will 
then readily fall into the mouth of the babe 
placed at her side. When, however, it is 
not convenient to assume the recumbent 



220 A physician's counsels to woman. 

position, the mother should sit directly up- 
right, with- the back well supported. She 
ought never to nurse while in a half-sitting, 
half-lying position. Such a posture hurts 
her figure and weakens her back. Neither 
should she give the breast standing or 
walking, or in a jolting carriage. She 
must never nurse the child in a cold or 
damp place, or where there are currents of 
air, for such imprudence may be punished 
by inflammatory or neuralgic affections of 
the breast. As soon as the repast is over, 
the precaution should be taken of carefully 
covering the breasts. 

How often ought the Child Nurse during 
the Day? 

Mothers frequently ask, should they have 
regular hours for nursing ? "We reply, yes. 
It is better for both mother and child that 
the latter should take the breast only from 
time to time, and that regular intervals 
should intervene between its repasts. Of 
course no rule on this subject can be laid 
down with mathematical accuracy. Such 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 221 

an attempt would be ridiculous. "We coun- 
sel, in general terms, the following system. 
During the first few weeks, when the 
need of food and the dangers resulting 
from the want of it are great and pressing, 
the child should nurse every second hour. 
At the end of a month the interval should 
be three hours, and after the second month, 
four. An infant, in good health, when 
fifteen days old, will commence to show 
clearly when it is hungry ; at the close of 
the second month it generally sleeps when 
it has had sufficient, and wakes when it 
wishes food. It must not be understood 
that it is necessary to feed it every time it 
wakes. As the infant grows older it will 
take more at one nursing, but the greatest 
time which should be allowed to elapse 
between any two repasts is four hours. 
"We are speaking now of the daytime. 

Is it Necessary at Night to give the Breast 
so often as in the Daytime? 

No, it is not. Towards the tenth or 
eleventh day, the mother ought to increase 

19* 



222 A physician's counsels to woman. 

the intervals at night so as to give the 
breast only three times, the first say about 
ten o'clock, the second about one o'clock, 
and the third towards five o'clock. At two 
months of age, the one o'clock meal should 
be omitted, or consist of a little cow's milk 
and water, in the proportion of one part of 
milk to two of water. The upper portion 
of milk which has stood for several hours 
is to be preferred for the purpose. 

A nursing mother should sleep at least 
seven or eight hours during the night, for 
this amount of sleep is indispensable for 
the proper preservation of her own health 
and the development of her child. 

If the mother be not strong, it may even 
be better that she should not nurse at all 
during the night. In this event, the child 
should be fed once or twice with the mix- 
ture of cow's milk and water just men- 
tioned. 

Too often mothers and nurses attribute 
all infantile cries to hunger, and seek to 
appease them by continually offering the 
breast. The child frequently cries for 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 223 

other reasons than this. The cries of hun- 
ger are accompanied by agitations of the 
arms, while the infant moves its head, opens 
its mouth, and seizes eagerly the end of the 
finger. 

The Amount of Milk the Infant Needs. 

This varies, of course, with its age. Dur- 
ing the first two months it takes about 
three ounces, that is, six tablespoonfuls or 
two wineglassfuls, at one time. It will 
have, therefore, in the twenty-four hours 
somewhat over a quart. Above three 
months of age it will require about a quart 
and a half during the day and night. 

The mother should be able to give the 
child all the milk it requires until it is five 
or six months of age. 

In general, the child, so soon as it has had 
sufficient, falls asleep at the breast. In the 
case^ of feeble infants, it sometimes happens, 
during the first six weeks, that sleep gains 
upon them after they have taken only a few 
mouthfuls. It is necessary under such cir- 



224 A physician's counsels to woman. 

cumstances to awaken them, in order that 
they may have enough nourishment. 

An infant which has suckled continu- 
ously for fifteen minutes has made a good 
meal. It should then be interrupted. 

The Influence of Mother's Pood upon her 
Milk. 

The diet has a great effect upon the nature 
and quantity of the milk secreted. A wo- 
man well nourished will have, otLei-things 
being equal, better milk than one badly 
nourished. It does not follow, however, 
that the mother should force herself to 
partake of food in larger quantities and 
heavier in character than is ordinary with 
her. If her health remain good, and she 
simply follow her desires, and hold to her 
former habits at the table, her child will 
not suffer. 

The mother should carefully avoid what- 
ever she has ascertained by experience disa- 
grees with her. Otherwise she may induce 
acidity of the milk, and disorder of the 
stomach and bowels of the nursling. 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 225 

The Influence of the Monthly Sickness 
upon the Milk. 

The mammary glands are more or less 
closely united in the bonds of sympathy 
with the uterine system. One would sup- 
pose, therefore, that the eruption of the 
menses would alter the character of the milk. 
Such is the case sometimes. It is not al- 
ways so. Prof. Eacihorski has carefully 
studied with the aid of the microscope the 
milk of nursing mothers during menstrua- 
tion. He has not found any perceptible 
alteration. He concludes, therefore, saving 
only in exceptional cases, that the coming 
on of the monthly discharge ought not to 
deter the mother from continuing to nurse 
her child. 

But nature herself would seem to guard 
against the occurrence of this function 
during lactation. Most women do not 
become unwell so long as they keep the 
child at the breast. In the largest propor- 
tion of the remainder, the sickness does not 
make its appearance before the seventh 



226 A physician's counsels to woman. 

month after childbirth. This fact would 
seem to point to some advantage accruing 
in the case of those who never become un- 
well while nursing. It is certainly greatly 
to be desired that the sickness shall not 
come- on until after the period of weaning. 
Still, its earlier appearance is not, alone, a 
sufficient reason for premature weaning. 

In some women the monthly periods are 
always associated with great constitutional 
disturbances, and disorders of the digestive 
apparatus and nervous system. Such per- 
turbations in the system of the mother may 
cause attacks of colic and diarrhoea in the 
nursling. 

The Influence of the Marital Relation 
on the Milk. 

The exercise of the conjugal privilege 
affects, although it may be only momentarily, 
the breasts and their secretions. Most 
physicians agree that there is no danger 
to the nursing- infant if temperance be 
observed. 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 227 

Of course, husband and wife occupy 
separate apartments for at least four weeks 
after confinement. In the case of those 
with whom the menstrual function is in 
abeyance during the period of nursing, 
there is no risk of a second conception. 
When, on the contrary, the menses recur 
soon after the childbirth, the danger of 
another conception is of course encountered, 
although it is doubtless even then much 
less than at ordinary times. 

"We may conclude, therefore, that there 
is no reason, on account of the child, of 
insisting upon a total separation of the 
father and mother while it is being nursed. 
Indeed, there are physiological reasons 
which would render such an ascetic course 
as this wrong and injurious. If indulged 
with moderation, this passion does not 
markedly alter the properties of the milk. 
The only inconvenience attendant upon it 
is the risk to which it exposes the mother, 
if her periods have returned, of a second 
pregnancy. This suggests an inquiry into 



228 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The Influence of Pregnancy on the Milk. 

If pregnancy fails to check or diminish 
the quantity of the milk, it will certainly 
deteriorate its quality. 

The security which the fact of nursing 
giyes to the mother, leads her frequently to 
overlook the first signs of a second preg- 
nancy, which, in fact, are then more difficult 
of observation. It therefore happens, in 
many instances, that the child is nursed 
during several months of an unsuspected 
pregnancy. As a rule, so soon as the preg- 
nancy is at all advanced, the effects of in- 
sufficiency and deterioration in the milk 
make themselves apparent in the child at 
the breast. "Weaning should take place as 
quickly as the existence of a new pregnancy 
is observed A wet-nurse should be ob- 
tained, if the child be under six months, 
particularly if the weather be warm. In 
the latter case, also, it should be removed 
to the country. 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 229 

The Influence of Emotion on the Milk. 

The study of the influence of the mother's 
mind upon the child at her breast, is an 
interesting and most momentous one. It 
is impossible to insist too strongly upon 
the importance of preserving a condition 
of calmness and tranquillity during the 
whole continuance of nursing. But by 
what words can we hope to quiet a spirit 
strongly moved by fear, grief, or anxiety? 
As well may medicine attempt to minister 
to a mind diseased. Still, it is the duty of 
the physician, by grave and well-weighed 
representations, to point out the danger to 
which violent emotions in the mother 
expose the child. Every mother should 
know that the qualities of her milk are 
rapidly and seriously altered by lively men- 
tal emotions, in order that by foresight she 
may escape excitement, and by self-control 
she may calm herself when unavoidably 
subjected to it. 

Medical books and journals relate many 



230 A physician's counsels to woman. 

well-authenticated instances of the sad 
effects upon the child of fright, anger, and 
other nervous emotions, through the changes 
to which these have led in the milk. In 
many cases even death has been the conse- 
quence. 

Prof. Carpenter, of London, records in 
his " Physiology" two fatal cases. In one, 
the infant died instantly in its mother's 
arms, on being allowed to nurse, shortly 
after she had heard bad news. In the other 
case, the infant was seized with convul- 
sions in the right side, and paralysis on 
the left, from the same cause. 

In a late number of the "Journal of 
Psychological Medicine" we find recorded, 
by Prof. William A. Hammond, late Sur- 
geon-General of the U: S. Army, a number 
of instances of serious disturbances, in 
the child, occasioned by this inexplicable 
change in the mother's milk through emo- 
tion. 

"A soldier's wife, whilst nursing her 
child, was very much terrified by a sudden 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 231 

thunder-storm, during which the house 
where she was then quartered was struck by 
lightning. The infant, which had always 
been in excellent health, was immediately 
attacked with vomiting and convulsions, 
from which it recovered with difficulty." 

" A lady, three weeks after delivery, was 
attacked with puerperal insanity. She 
nursed her child but once after the occa- 
sion of the disease, and in two hours sub- 
sequently it was affected with general con- 
vulsions, from which it died during the 
night. Previous to this event it had been 
in robust health." 

Such accidents may be prevented by per- 
mitting the loss of the milk shut up in the 
breast at the time of the emotional excite- 
ment, and by preventing the child from 
nursing until the mother is quite restored 
to her customary cheerfulness. 

The famous physician Boerhaave states 
that an infant was attacked with convul- 
sions after nursing from the breast of a 
woman who was intoxicated. 



232 a physician's counsels to woman. 

"While nervous agitation will check or 
entirely arrest the flow of the milk, every 
mother knows the influence which often 
the sight of her babe, the idea of present- 
ing it to her breast, and the joy she feels 
when she holds it there, will have upon the 
amount of the milk, entirely independent 
of her will. It flows into her breast even 
on the thought of her absent nursling. 
All these facts show to what an astonish- 
ing extent this secretion of milk, in refer- 
ence both to quantity and quality, is under 
the control of the nervous system. "We 
trust they will give point and emphasis to 
the cautions we have just penned. 

Other Influences which Modify the 
Nature of the Milk. 

From what we have already said it will 
be seen that the composition of the milk is 
very variable. We have passed in review 
a number of influences which affect it. 
Some others remain to be spoken of. 

The Influence of the Constitution and 
Temperament. — A woman of feeble consti- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 233 

tution has generally milk deficient in fatty 
matter. One whose system is robust, on 
the contrary, has ordinarily milk rich in 
butter. The opposite condition of affairs 
sometimes prevails. One occasionally sees 
apparently feeble mothers with excellent 
milk, and others buoyant with health 
whose milk is impoverished. 

That which is known as the lymphatic 
temperament coincides ordinarily with 
watery and non-nutritious milk. The color 
of the hair alone does not appear, contrary 
to what some have asserted, to be an indi- 
cation either of the quantity or quality of 
the milk. 

The Influence upon the Milk of its Retention 
in the Breasts.— -It has been demonstrated 
that the longer the milk is retained in the 
breast, the more thin and watery it becomes. 
If one divides into three parts the product 
of one milking of a cow, so as to receive 
each successively in a different vessel, it 
will be found the portion first obtained is 
the poorest and most watery, the second is 
richer, and the thud the best of all. It is 

20* 



234 A physician's counsels to woman. 

well, then, for every mother to know that 
her milk will become more watery the longer 
it remains in the organ which forms it. This 
knowledge is capable of useful practical 
application in the nourishment of the child. 
If, for instance, it be desirable, because of 
the too great richness of the mother's milk, 
to lessen the nourishment of the child, this 
can be readily accomplished by simply 
lengthening the intervals between nursings. 
By this course, the child, <5h the one hand, 
will have time to better digest its repasts, 
and, on the other, the longer sojourn of the 
milk in the breasts will enfeeble its consist- 
ence and richness. If the milk be poor and 
the child badly nourished, apply it oftener 
to the breast, and thus not only give it more 
but improve the quality of its food. 

Means of Recognizing Changes in the Milk. 

The microscope and skill in its use are 
indispensable for the accurate determina- 
tion of many of the alterations in the milk. 
But this means is not, of course, at the dis- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 235 

posal of the mother. Can we not teach her 
how to obtain, proximately at least, some 
useful information on this point ? "We will 
try. 

An old practice among physicians con- 
sists in placing a drop of the milk on the 
nail of the thumb, and then turning it so as 
to face downwards. The drop of milk is 
thus suspended. If it remains adherent, 
then the milk contains a considerable quan- 
tity of nutritive elements. If it, on the 
contrary, quickly falls, then the milk is 
serous and of poor quality. 

The simple inspection of a certain quan- 
tity of milk drawn into a glass will also 
enable an estimate to be formed as to its 
quality. There are also several chemical 
processes, which require delicate manage- 
ment and more knowledge of chemistry 
than the mother usually possesses. "We 
therefore pass them over. 

One of the best procedures, worth all the 
others, is an examination of the infant. If 
it be well nourished, it is because the milk 
is sufficient in. quantity and of good quality. 



236 A PHYSICIAN'S COUNSELS TO WOMAN. 

If it be badly nourished, it is nearly always 
because the milk is faulty. 

Too Much or Too Little Milk. 

The mother may suffer from an over- 
abundance of this secretion, or she may 
have an insufficient amount for the need of 
her infant. 

An excessive amount of milk may be 
caused by over-nursing, by bleeding piles, 
by the too frequent or too prolonged occur- 
rence of the monthly sicknesses, and by any 
excitement of the uterine system. This 
condition is not merely an inconvenience 
to the mother. It injures the child, because 
of the impoverished state of the milk which 
always exists. The employment of pre- 
parations of iron is useful. A pill consist- 
ing of two grains of pulverized iron 
(reduced iron) three times a day will be 
productive of great benefit. The advice 
of the physician should be sought before 
the health of the child begins to suffer. 

Scantiness of milk is an effect of general 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 237 

debility, of indigestion, and the want of 
proper food, of advancing years, and of 
frequent long separation from the child. 
The cause should be removed, if possible ; 
the child should be put frequently to the 
breast, and a generous diet insisted upon. 
There are special remedies, and courses of 
treatment, which increase the flow of milk. 
These should be left, however, in the hands 
of the family physician, who can best 
employ them. 

At wliat Age may the Child have other 
Food than Milk? 

Not before the end of the fourth or the 
commencement of the fifth month. Mothers 
are usually too much in the hurry to give 
it paps, teas, panadas, etc. If the mother 
be a good nurse, she should furnish suffi- 
cient milk for the first four or five months. 
Her milk will be enough for the child, 
without the aid of any outside meals, 
excepting, perhaps, the milk and water, of 
which we have spoken, in the middle of the 



238 A physician's counsels to woman. 

night. Of course, if the infant be feeble 
and delicate, or if the milk be insufficient 
in quantity or wanting in richness, it will 
be necessary to supplement the natural 
food with artificial. 



The Food Proper for Infants. 

A slow and regular progression in the 
character of the child's food should be the 
rule. Any sudden changes in diet are 
liable to derange the stomach. No artifi- 
cial food should be allowed before the fourth 
or fifth month, as we have just stated. At 
this time, however, the use may be begun 
of dilute cow's milk, and of paps. An 
excellent preparation may be made by 
adding to a tumbler one-third full of water 
a teaspoonful of sugar of milk, and then 
filling the tumbler until it is two-thirds 
full with fresh cow's milk. The addition 
of two teaspoonfuls of lime-water is useful, 
"if the child have a sour stomach or green 
stools. Paps made with cow's milk and 
wheaten flour, or arrowroot, may next be 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 239 

allowed. At six months of age, tapioca 
and animal broths are proper, once or 
twice during the day. At twelve months, 
eggs may first be permitted, and then any 
sort of easily-digested solid food. 

At what Age should the Child be 
Weaned? 

By commencing at the fifth month to 
gradually accustom the infant to artificial 
food, m the manner just mentioned, it may 
be weaned about the twelfth or thirteenth 
month. If there be a sufficient amount of 
milk, and the health of mother and child be 
vigorous, nursing may be prolonged to the 
fifteenth or sixteenth month, but it can 
rarely be continued longer with safety for 
either. 

City infants should not be weaned during 
the summer months. If, for any reason, 
the mother is obliged to cease nursing in 
hot weather, either the child must be sent 
into the country or a wet-nurse procured. 



240 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The Food of the Cpild after Weaning. 

After the child is weaned, its diet ought 
to approach more closely to that of ordinary 
life ; it may eat at the family table, avoid- 
ing highly flavored dishes, pastry, stimu- 
lants, and coffee. It should be encouraged 
to drink freely of milk at all its meals. 

The prejudice against sugar is unfounded. 
It is a useful article of diet. Even when 
taken in excess, the only disadvantage is a 
loss of appetite for a little while. 

The Number and Order of its Meals, — For 
the instruction of inexperienced mothers, 
we will give a bill of fare, which may serve 
as a model to be followed, more or less 
closely, according to circumstances. 

Children should make their first repast as 
soon as they rise in the morning. It ought 
to consist of broth, or milk gruel, with 
bread. This breakfast should be taken 
about seven or eight o'clock in the morning; 
during the summer, an hour earlier. About 
ten o'clock a piece of bread and butter will 
make a healthful lunch. Towards mid-day 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 241 

a second meal is necessary. It should 
consist of soup, with a small quantity of 
meat, such as mutton-chop, yeal-cutlet, 
chicken, roast beef, etc. Potatoes, well 
cooked, and a very small amount of green 
vegetables, may be added, together with a 
light pudding. In the middle of the after- 
noon, some bread and milk, or bread and 
butter, with fresh ripe fruit, when in season, 
should be eaten. This repast may be 
taken out of doors. In the early evening, 
the last meal of the day had better consist 
of only bread and milk. 

But it is not alone necessary that the 
hours for the meals be regulated. It is of 
the utmost importance that the food be 
given in proper quantity, and of proper 
quality — that is to say, it ought to be well 
prepared, and fresh, and the meats juicy, 
not dried in cooking. A portion of meat 
should make part of each day's food, and 
not be omitted, under the pretext that 
vegetables will suffice for the nourishment 
of the child. 

21 



THE HYGIENE OF THE INTACT 
BEFOBE WEAHTITO. 

"We have hitherto only spoken of the in- 
fant's diet. "We have confined ourselves to 
directions as to nursing and feeding by 
hand. But these are not the only cares 
which the child requires for the preserva- 
tion of its health. The air it breathes, the 
light and the sounds which surround it, and 
its temperature, are all agents which influ- 
ence it for good or evil. "We will briefly 
state some of the more important hygienic 
precepts of early infancy. 

The Air it Breathes. 

Dr. Fonssagrives, the well-known pro- 
fessor of hygiene at Montpellier, has aptly 
said : "A piece of brown bread steeped in 
pure air, makes more blood than a beef- 
steak eaten in a close room." Open, then, 
(242) 



THE WIPE A MOTHER. 243 

the window of the chamber occupied by the 
little one, and let the fresh air from with- 
out expel that which has already been 
breathed, and which- is no longer fit for 
respiration. There is no danger in thus 
renewing the atmosphere of the apart- 
ment. It is only on exposure to currents 
of air that the child will take cold. From 
these it can readily be protected. A child 
can no more grow without fresh air than a 
plant. At the same time, ordinary pru- 
dence must be exercised in ventilation. 
On a rainy day, for instance, the window 
should not be opened; and during the 
earlier hours of the morning, and the late 
hours of the evening, it will be more pru- 
dent to keep it closed. 

The importance of carrying the infant 
daily in the open air, when the weather is 
favorable, cannot be too much insisted 
upon. There are few mothers who take 
their children as much in the open air as 
they ought, in order to secure for them a 
vigorous constitution, and robust health. 
During the summer, little children should 



24A A physician's counsels to woman. 

remain out of doors during nearly the whole 
day, from the time of rising until the hour 
for retiring. The practice of carrying the 
infant out for a promenade, of at least an 
hour or two, near the middle of the day, 
should be begun a few days after birth in 
the summer-time, and not postponed longer 
than two or three months after birth in the 
winter. ]S"ot a single pleasant day, in the 
whole year, should be allowed to pass 
without this walk in the open air. There 
is no direction which we can give for the 
care of the health in infancy of greater 
value than this. If the head and limbs of 
the child be properly covered, it will not 
take cold, even although the air be cool. 
Exposure to a damp atmosphere ought to 
be avoided, however. 

The action of intense cold upon the in- 
fant is very hurtful. A child born in the 
winter-time should not, therefore, be car- 
ried out until it is several months old, as 
we have just stated. !S~or should it be long 
exposed to a freezing atmosphere, even 
although well dressed. It ought to take 



THE WIFE A MOTHEP 245 

the air during the sunny days of winter, 
but the promenade must then be a short one. 
It is to be borne in mind that young infants 
frequently suffer from the cold without 
showing at the time any sign of suffering. 
It is not until they are a year and a half or 
two years of age, that they complain and 
cry when cold. Therefore, even although 
well clothed, it is prudent not to keep them 
too long in a freezing atmosphere. 



Its Light. 

The light of the sun is indispensable to 
the new-born. In the dark the infant 
becomes pale and thin. During the first 
few weeks of early infancy, the eyes re- 
quire to be protected from the direct rays 
of the sun, or of the gas-light. The first 
week of its life should be mainly passed in 
a half-darkened room. In a little while 
its eyes will become accustomed to the 
light, which should then be freely admitted 
into the apartment. 

21* 



246 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Its Temperature. 

The young infant has need of a warm 
atmosphere. Its animal heat is generated 
with difficulty ; it must, therefore, be care- 
fully preserved by artificial means. 

Sudden changes of temperature are, in 
particular, very injurious. The passage of 
the child from a warm room to a cold one, 
or from a heated house to the cold outer 
air, may be attended with serious conse- 
quences, if it be not well protected. A 
transition of the kind, which a grown per- 
son would resist without injury, might 
readily prove fatal to an infant, whose 
powers of resistance to cold, we repeat, are 
very feeble. 

Nevertheless, there may be an excess of 
precaution to avoid taking cold. The na- 
tural feebleness, of which we have spoken, 
maybe increased by rooms too warm and 
clothing too heavy. 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 247 

Its Sleep. 

Calm and regular sleep is an indication 
of health. The infant whose sleep is dis- 
turbed, is certainly not well. In health, it 
passes the greater portion of the twenty- 
four hours in its bed. It ought never to 
be awakened. It is a good habit to place 
it in bed so soon as it has nursed, and never 
to accustom it to be put to sleep in the 
arms. Otherwise it will soon learn, when 
it awakes in the night, to insist upon being 
carried, and will not be quieted until its 
tyrannical demands are complied with. 

"When the infant is asleep, it is well not 
to make too much noise in the chamber it 
occupies. Still, it is not necessary to 
remain immovable, and preserve an absolute 
silence. The child sleeps very well in the 
midst of some noise and movement, pro- 
vided they do not pass beyond a reasonable 
limit. 

As the child becomes older, the hours 
between its naps during the day may be 
increased. It should, however, have at 



248 A physician's counsels to woman. 

least twelve hours' sleep at night, and a 
noon nap of an hour or two, until six years 
of age. 

The Clothing it Wears. 

We have spoken of the susceptibility of 
the infant to the effects of cold. There is 
an erroneous notion, which unfortunately is 
too widely spread, that it is well "to 
harden" the child, by exposing its neck and 
limbs to the air. In our climate, there is 
no practice more dangerous. More chil- 
dren sicken and die because of insufficient 
•clothing than is generally supposed. No 
matter what the fashion of the dress may 
be, let every mother see to it that her child 
is more warmly clad than herself, and not 
less so, as is so frequently the case. Again, 
we repeat, in this connection, a child cannot 
resist cold as well as an adult. 



WHAT THE MOTHEE SHOULD 
DO IN SLIGHT ACCIDENTS. 

Mothers are often embarrassed as to 
the proper treatment for a trivial accident, 
such as a fall, a blow, a light wound, a 
burn, etc., to which little children are so 
often exposed. It will, therefore, be useful 
to lay down some rules for their guidance 
in these common and simple hurts of child- 
hood. If an accident seems grave, or gives 
rise to anxiety, the most prudent course is 
to seek the skill of the family physician; 
but, while awaiting his arrival, there are 
many useful precautions which can be 
taken, and many light injuries demand no 
other care than it is in the power of the 
intelligent mother to afford. 

Accidents which do not Eequirc? the 
Physician's Care. 

We will .first consider the duty of the 
mother, in relieving those slight injuries 

(249) 



250 A physician's counsels to woman. 

which, while they inspire no fear, and do 
not ordinarily demand the care of the 
doctor, call for some attention on her part. 

Most of the falls to which young children 
are liable, in walking or running about the 
floor, are of this harmless character. They 
ordinarily give rise merely to a little pain, 
or, it may be, to a small swelling, or a black 
and blue spot. All that is necessary to do 
in such instances is to avoid frightening 
the little one by an expression of its own 
terror, and thus leading it to complain 
beyond measure, or making it too timid. 
So soon as the mother has assured herself, 
with calmness, that nothing serious has 
resulted, she should place the child upon 
its feet, dry its tears, and induce it to 
resume its play. The child will thus be 
taught to support, with fortitude, a little 
pain, and the accident will serve to make it 
more cautious and adroit in the future. Is 
it necessary to add that it is absurd to seek 
to quiet the child by striking the furniture 
or floor against which it has struck itself? 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 251 

This only inculcates an idea of vengeance, 
as foolish as unjnst. 

Small "Wounds and Cuts. — Children 
frequently inflict upon themselves superfi- 
cial cuts by means of knives, or some other 
cutting or pointed instruments, in spite of 
all care which can be taken. In cases of 
such wounds, which are without danger, as 
they merely divide the skin, no lively emo- 
tion should be manifested at the sight of a 
little blood. If the mother endeavors to 
show coolness on these occasions, if even 
she tries to profit by similar accidents in 
order in a measure to familiarize the child 
with them, she will teach it self-reliance, 
and enable it, in after-life, to afford useful 
aid in the misfortunes of others. 

The Dressing of Small Wounds. — 
All that it is necessary to do, in case of 
wounds of this sort, is to wash the cut with 
some fresh water, and to bring the edges 
carefully together, and retain them by 
means of isinglass or adhesive plaster. 



252 a physician's counsels to woman. 

Means qf Quieting Children and 
Checking their Bursts of Passion. — 
If the little one manifests nervous agitation, 
from no assignable cause, it is well to cause 
it to drink a little cool water, or even to 
sprinkle its face with the water, throwing 
it with some force, and without fear of doing 
any harm. This means is a very effectual 
one in calming the attacks of anger to 
which some infants are subject, and is far 
preferable to the ordinary efforts made in 
these cases, such as menaces, and other 
signs of impatience, which only prolong the 
irritation of the child. 

Burns and Scalds. — Among the com- 
mon accidents of childhood, burns are the 
most serious. However trifling they may 
be, the pain which they occasion is, for 
a while, very lively. They are apt, also, to 
permanently injure the part, or to imperil 
life itself. This danger exists only when 
they are extended, although not deep; or 
when they have penetrated deeply, even 
although* they occupy a small surface. 



THE WIFE A MOTHEE. 253 

When both deep and broad, the danger is, 
of course, much greater, and the accident 
then demands the most prompt and skilful 
medical aid which can be procured. 

The Immediate Dressing oe Burns 
and Scalds. — In slight cases, when the 
skin is merely reddened, and not hroken, 
immediate relief will be afforded by the 
application of a mixture of equal parts of 
creasote-water (which may be obtained from 
any druggist) and common water. This 
should be brushed over the part by means 
of a camel's-hair brush. This treatment is 
only proper when the skin is unbroken ; in 
such cases, the relief to the pain is instan- 
taneous and permanent. 

In the more simple forms of burns and 
scalds, covering the surface with glycerine 
is often very beneficial. The application of 
carded cotton, and the dusting of the sur- 
face with flour, are both safe and very 
advantageous methods of treatment, to be 
resorted to while awaiting the arrival of the 
physician, who should always be summoned 



254 a physician's counsels to woman. 

if the skin be broken, or if the injury be 
diffused oyer a large surface. 

The First Cares in Grave Falls, 
Dislocations, and Fractures. — If the 
child falls from an elevated height, if some 
joint is displaced, a limb broken, or the skin 
and flesh deeply cut, it should be placed in a 
bed, while awaiting medical assistance. If 
blood be flowing with abundance from a 
wound, in consequence of the rupture of 
some vessel, the bleeding should be arrested 
as soon as possible, either by compressing 
the part with the fingers or the hand, or 
by bringing the edges of the wound to- 
gether by means of a bandage. 

These are the principal domestic reme- 
dies which can be employed in cases of 
accidents to children. If more be required, 
medical aid had better be called in, for the 
case is beyond the province of domestic 
surgery. 



THE EOLE OE THE MOTHEE IS 
THE DISEASES OF CHILDHOOD. 

"While it is of the utmost importance, 
when infants are seriously ill, to call in the 
best medical advice, it is of equal moment 
that the mother should have correct ideas 
of her duties toward her sick child, as well 
as of the necessity for the prompt aid of the 
physician. She should also be armed with 
such precise and plain information as will 
enable her to second the efforts of the 
family physician. The parts of the physi- 
cian and the mother are and always will 
remain distinct. The doctor prescribes, the 
mother performs, and she follows direc- 
tions badly or well just in proportion as 
she comprehends their value. 

In medical works devoted to the diseases 
of children, the writers carefully calculate 
the favorable and unfavorable changes in 

(255) 



256 A physician's counsels to woman. 

each affection, they weigh the influenc- 
ing circumstances of constitution, tem- 
perament, medicines, etc., but they often 
scarcely think to consider the great value 
of the mother's care. The bed of a sick 
child guarded by an intelligent and in- 
structed mother, is doubly defended. It is 
generally believed that the physician alone 
bears the responsibility of treatment. This 
is a grave error. The mother shares this 
responsibility, she contributes largely both 
to success and failure. 



Useless and Dangerous Medicines for 
Children. 

A useless remedy is in effect a dangerous 
one, as, because of its supposed harmless 
character, it is abused, and in this manner 
either valuable time is lost or a bad habit 
formed by its constant employment, not to 
be broken without injury. 

There are two kinds of useless remedies 
daily employed in family practice in this 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 257 

country. The first are preventive remedies, 
the second are those reputed necessary. 

To treat a disease by medicine before its 
appearance is the height of absurdity. Yet 
we constantly find, in domestic practice, 
purgatives, emetics, and alteratives admin- 
istered to children at certain seasons of the 
year, to prevent sickness. Happily the old 
habit of bleeding every member of the 
family in the spring of each year has fallen 
into disuse. "Would that other precaution- 
ary methods of treatment equally worthless 
had shared the same fate. By proper pre- 
cautions in diet and the sanitary regula- 
tions of daily life, health may be preserved ; 
but attempts to avert disease by medication 
are as futile as hurtful. 

As for the many remedies which are 
popularly supposed to be necessary for 
children, they should only be given when 
the necessity is proved, not when it is sup- 
posed, to exist. 

Mothers should know that an insigni- 
ficant or harmless medicine may be as 

dangerous, when given at the commence- 
22* 



258 A physician's counsels to woman. 

ment of an illness, as the most powerful 
wrongly administered remedy, and this for 
the simple reason that its use inspires a 
false security, and causes the loss of pre- 
cious time. If time be money, it is also 
sometimes health, and even life, and it is 
folly to waste it in either case. 

There is much difference between a 
medicine and a remedy. Of this difference 
most mothers appear to be ignorant. A 
medicine is neither good nor bad in itself; 
it is good when it is given in proper doses, 
and on the right occasions; bad when it is 
administered in wrong amounts, or inop- 
portunely. 

Besides the useless and insignificant pre- 
parations with which infants are dosed in 
family practice, there are certain remedies 
which are highly dangerous, and may pro- 
duce immediately serious results. Mothers 
should know these drugs, in order to rigidly 
exclude them from their families. 

First among these dangerous remedies, 
we will instance opium, and the various 
preparations which contain it. The ex- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 259 

treme susceptibility of young children to 
the action of this substance is a fact well 
known to physicians. Many refuse to pre- 
scribe it, even though they have the oppor- 
tunity and skill for carefully watching its 
effects. A single drop of laudanum has 
been known to destroy the life of an infant 
at the breast. It is necessary, also, to be 
careful of the use of this drug in external 
applications, for it is readily absorbed by 
the delicate skin of a child, and may thus 
occasion alarming, or even fatal, narcotism. 
The various "soothing syrups," sold so 
largely in the market, contain opium. 
Their employment has much to do in 
increasing the ailments and mortality of 
infant life. A mother who gives, or per- 
mits to be given to her little one, an opiated 
preparation, in order to check its cries, 
places its life in peril. 

Powders, ointments, pomades, and washes, 
prepared from secret formulae, and ad- 
vertised by charlatans, may, at any moment, 
produce grave skin affections, or even fatal 
poisoning. "The records of medical science 



260 A physician's counsels to woman. 

afford numerous examples of the sad effects 
following their use. There are also many 



Injurious Medicated Soaps 

For sale at the drug stores, done up in 
attractive wrappings, which are more or 
less dangerous, particularly when applied 
to the delicate skin of a young infant. As 
soaps are constantly employed in the in- 
fant's toilet, a few words of caution, in 
regard to those which are hurtful, will not 
be without use. Drs. Brinton and INa- 
pheys, of Philadelphia, in their work upon 
" The Laws of Health in their Relation to 
the Human Form," give the following ad- 
vice on this subject : — 

"Soap and water is the burden of the 
song of most writers on health. "We grant 
the water, but are by no means so enthusi- 
astic about the soap. Many a lady" (and, 
we may add, many a child) " will find her 
skin softer, whiter, and healthier by omit- 
ting it altogether. The reason is the diffi- 
culty in obtaining a perfectly i neutral' soap, 



THE WIPE A MOTHER. 261 

that is, one that contains no excess of alkali, 
and one that has in it no rancid fat-globules, 
injurious oil, or coloring matter, or irrita- 
ting foreign substance. 

"l$o one needs to be informed that soaps 
are made by the action of a powerful alkali, 
caustic soda or caustic potash usually, on 
fat. The cheapest, and consequently the 
almost universal method, is to do this in 
the i cold way,' instead of by the old process 
of boiling and ' salting out.' Unfortunately, 
the cold way is one of those ' cheap and 
nasty' methods which Carlyle says are 
becoming daily more popular with this 
degenerate age. All soap made thus con- 
tains an excess of alkali, and particles of 
fat not saponified. Both these ingredients 
are harmful to the skin, leaving it rough, 
tender, and apt to pimple. It is much 
better to use no soap at all, than one 
which has these injurious qualities. 

" Toilet soaps should be prepared from 
clean, sweet tallow, or oil, by a strong 
solution of soda, and it is essential that 
they be completely deprived of an excess 



262 A physician's counsels to woman. 

of alkali. Their natural color is always a 
yellow or white, and whatever other hue is 
given them, is artificially done by the 
admixture of coloring matter. Brown 
Windsor is colored by caramel or cocoa; 
rose color is produced by cinnabar; green 
by chrome green, and many of the reds by 
aniline colors. These latter are derived 
from the distillation of coal oil, and some 
of them, the fashionable coralline for ex- 
ample, are exceedingly irritating to the 
skin of many persons, so they should be 
employed with caution. The dark lines in 
Castile soaps are produced by a preparation 
of iron, which is harmless. Any desired 
perfume can be imparted to soaps, and so 
long as this is done by the natural odorous 
portions of the plants, there is no cause of 
complaint. But most of the toilet soaps 
sold are perfumed by the artificial essences 
derived from fusel oil and petroleum, the 
effects of which, upon a delicate skin, are 
occasionally acrid and unpleasant." 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 263 

The Diseases of the Child while Teething. 

The germs of the teeth exist four months 
before birth; they develop themselves 
silently during the first seven or eight 
months of life. At this epoch the earliest 
teeth make their appearance in successive 
groups, which follow each other until the 
age of two years or two years and a half. 
The child has then twenty teeth, and its 
first dentition is finished. After a time of 
repose, of varying length, which scarcely 
ever exceeds two years, the teething pro- 
cess re-commences, and the four first large 
molars make their appearance. The child's 
mouth is then furnished with twenty-four 
teeth. From the sixth to the seventh year 
the temporary teeth are replaced by the 
permanent. Now also the four second 
large molars begin their growth, which is 
completed before the twelfth or fourteenth 
year. The third and last teething occurs 
somewheres between the eighteenth and 
twenty-fifth years ; it consists in the appear- 



264 A physician's counsels to woman. 

ance of the four last molars, or the "wisdom 
teeth," as they are commonly termed. 

The process of teething may therefore be 
divided as follows : — 

1st. The first or the Milk Teeth.— These 
begin to appear between the fifth and eighth 
month, and are completed between the 
twenty-fourth and the thirtieth month. 
They ordinarily show themselves in the 
following order : — 

a. The two middle front teeth of the 

lower jaw. 

b. The two middle front teeth of the 

upper jaw. 

c. The side front teeth of the upper and 

lower jaws. 

d. The first small molars. 

e. The canines. 

f. The second small molars. 

g. The first large molars, which appear 

between the fourth and fifth year. 

2d. The Second or Permanent Teeth. — 

These first show themselves at about the 

age of six or seven years. They push out 

and replace the milk teeth completely before 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 265 

the fourteenth or fifteenth year. The first 
large molars which appeared between the 
fourth and fifth year remain, and four more 
large molars are added to them, making 
now twenty-eight teeth in all. 

3d. The Third or Wisdom Teeth.— These 
consist of four large molars, which appear 
after the eighteenth year, rarely later. than 
the twenty-fifth. The whole process of 
teething is now finished; each jaw has its 
sixteen teeth, making thirty-two in all. 

The teeth appear always in groups. This 
fact is an important one for mothers to know, 
because there is between them an interval 
of repose of greater or less length. Thus 
there is between the appearance of the first 
infantile molars and the canines an inter- 
val of several months, which period is ex- 
tremely favorable to weaning. As far as 
possible, infants should be weaned before 
they have twelve teeth. This period of 
rest in teething ought therefore to be seized 
upon as the appropriate one, other things 
being equal, for weaning, in order that the 
troubles incident to teething may not be 

23 



266 A physician's COUNSELS TO WOMAN". 

added to the disorders sometimes oc- 
casioned by the removal of the mother's 
milk. 

"We desire also to call the attention of 
mothers to the appearance of the first large 
molar at the age of the fourth or fifth year. 
Many of the mysterious ailments of child- 
hood at this age are due to the cutting of 
these teeth. This cause of illness is too 
generally overlooked both by physicians and 
mothers. Many nervous affections, loss of 
flesh, and symptoms threatening some dis- 
ease of the brain, are simply the effects of 
this unnoticed process. 

"When the cutting of the teeth is not in 
itself a cause of illness, it often places the 
health in a delicate condition and renders 
it -liable to impairment. The child which 
is cutting its teeth, above all in the large 
cities, is a sick child, or at least an invalid, 
and in either case demands careful atten- 
tion. 

The teeth are capable of producing the 
most singular and the gravest affections to 
which childhood is subject. "While, how- 



THE WIFE A MOTHER. 267 

ever, this is the case, the number of dis- 
eases falsely imputed to them is incalcu- 
lable. There results from this often loss 
of time and the prescription of useless or 
even hurtful remedies. The teeth may- 
occasion wasting in children, may cause a 
cough, a diarrhoea, or convulsions. But all 
these affections may arise from very differ- 
ent causes. Hence the need of medical 
intervention in cases at all serious, in order 
that these nice and difficult distinctions 
may be made. 

Remedies for the troubles of Teething 
occupy a prominent place in domestic phar- 
macy. Many mothers spend upon them 
much time and money, and call in, too late, 
the family physician. They have a remedy 
which prevents pain, another which prevents 
fits, a third which will bring forward tardy 
teeth. The best remedy, when everything 
goes ordinarily well, is a well-chosen coral, 
aided . by well-practised frictions on the 
gums with the fingers ; when there is any 
unusual trouble, recourse should be had to 
ike physician. No mother should ever 



268 A physician's counsels to woman. 

permit to run on unchecked an attack of 
diarrhoea occurring during teething. As 
for fever, loss of flesh, cough, etc., these 
symptoms demand, of course, immediate 
and intelligent care. 



THE SOEOFULOUS 
COSSTITUTIOH". 

The signs of the presence of the scrofu- 
lous taint in the system of a child are gene- 
rally these, hair and complexion, light; 
skin, coarse and wanting in clearness ; ex- 
pression, heavy and dull ; cheeks, full, rather 
flabby, and with a tendency to too much 
color ; lips, particularly the upper one, 
thick; teeth, white, but quickly decaying; 
eyes, large and pale, often weak and in- 
flamed; nostrils, open, and frequently a 
discharge from the nose; belly, full and 
hard ; kernels in the neck ; the whole body 
gross, and the flesh soft and cold. 

The prevention of this disease, so common 
in our country, is a matter in which many 
parents are interested. There are four im- 
portant considerations in this connection, 
two of them relating to the parents, and 
two to the children. 

23* ( 269 ) 



270 A physician's counsels to woman. 

The first is a point upon which we have 
dwelt before, in the interest of infantile 
health, namely, the yalue of well-assorted 
marriages — that is, the union of those with 
unimpaired health and strength. In the 
second place, if either parent be affected 
with a scrofulous or consumptive predis- 
position, the utmost care should be ex- 
ercised by the mother during the whole 
period of pregnancy. She should ayoid 
heated rooms, be warmly clad, take proper 
exercise, forego late hours and fashionable 
pleasures, and heed the other precepts in re- 
lation to the care of her health, during this 
time, which we have laid down in treating 
of Pregnancy. 

In regard to the child, every attention 
should be paid to its food, air, clothing, etc., 
with the view of maintaining its health, and 
repressing the hereditary tendency to dis- 
ease. Dr. Paris has strongly recommended 
milk impregnated with the fat of mutton- 
suet. This he directs to be prepared by 
inclosing some suet in a muslin bag, and 
simmering it with the milk. 



THE WIPE A MOTHER. 271 

Lastly, in all cases, badly ventilated and 
damp houses must" be avoided, as well as 
localities which are unhealthy. 

The treatment of scrofula, although less 
satisfactory than its prevention, often de- 
termines by its wisdom or folly the future 
of the child. In former times, many super- 
stitious notions prevailed, which led to the 
use of silly and hurtful remedies. For in- 
stance, the touch of the dead felon's hand, 
the drinking out of human skulls, the pil- 
grimages to sacred places, the royal touch 
— all these, and many equally foolish prac- 
tices, were in more or less repute as pos- 
sessing curative powers. 

There are two agents which, in our time, 
are chiefly relied upon for the cure of this 
disease. One is iodine, which is used both 
externally and internally. A good iodine 
paint, for swollen glands, is the following : — 

Take of— 

Iodine 30 grains, 

Iodide of potassium . . 15 grains, 

Alcohol 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
Appty by means of a camel's-hair "brush over the 
swollen glands. 



272 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Or an ointment may be used, as fol- 
lows : — 

Take of— 

Ointment of iodine . . 1 drachm, 

Lard . . 2 drachms. 

Mix. 
To be rubbed over the enlarged scrofulous glands. 

Internally, iodine is looked upon by some 
as little short of a specific. It has certainly, 
in many cases, an effect which is all that 
could be desired. The following recipes 
will be found valuable : — 

Take of— 

Iodide of potassium . . 6 grains, 
Syrup of orange-peel . . J ounce, 

Water lj ounce. 

Mix. 
Dose, for an infant six months old, a teaspoonful three 
times a day. 

Take of— 

Iodide of potassium . . 16 grains, 
Syrup of sarsaparilla . . 1 ounce, 

Simple syrup 1 ounce. 

Mix. 
To a child three years old give a teaspoonful three 
times a day. 



THE WIFE A MOTHEB. 273 

The use of mineral waters, and of baths 
containing iodine, is also of great service. 

Cod-liver oil is the second remedy to which 
we referred. It does good by increasing the 
flesh and strength of the child. Its use, in 
order to be beneficial, must be continued a 
long time. A small dose only should be 
given at first, say half a teaspoonful .three 
times a day. This may be gradually in- 
creased to a teaspoonful, and finally to a 
dessertspoonful, three times a day. It is not 
often worth while to increase the dose 
beyond this for a child. Children soon 
learn to like the oil. In cases, however, in 
which the stomach will not bear the oil, it 
may be administered through the skin. 
Rub each night a couple of tablespoonfuls 
into the skin of the abdomen. The addition 
of a few drops of oil of cajeput will disguise 
the disagreeable odor. 



PAET IY. 
omun in jkmusz. 



It is a matter of common observation, 
that American women are subject to a 
crowd of affections peculiar to their sex. 
In this country, female diseases are more 
general than in any other. This is not due 
to climatic influence at all. That there is 
nothing in the air, water, and food of our 
land, which predisposes the gentler sex to 
disease, is shown by the condition of the 
Indian squaws and southern negresses. In 
the Indian and negro races, we find the 
women as powerful, as capable of endurance, 
and as free from any chronic disease, as the 
men. It is only in the more refined society 
of our own race that we notice their predi- 
lection to sickness and feeble health. It 

(275) 



276 A physician's counsels to woman. 

would seem as if the habits of civilized life 
had a great deal to do with this much to be 
regretted invalidism. Let us, therefore, 
before treating in detail of the principal 
female diseases, consider some of their main 
causes, and point out the means of preven- 
tion. 



The Causes of Disease in Woman. 

The principal influences at jvork, in 
bringing about the ills peculiar to woman, 
may be enumerated as follows: folly in 
dress, neglect of exercise and fresh air, 
improper nervous excitement, imprudences 
during the monthly periods, production of 
abortion, and want of care after childbirth. 

Folly in Dress. — "We have already pointed 
out, at length, the evil effects of tight-lacing. 
To the abuse of the corset is to be traced 
much of the womb disease so prevalent at 
the present time. These ill effects are 
increased by dancing in the tightened 
compress, and subsequent exposure to the 
chilling air of a winter's night. Season 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 277 

after season such imprudences are repeated, 
until disease or age forever stops what the 
dictates of prudence should have long before 
checked. The lower limbs are, as a rule, 
improperly clad. Thin cotton cloth affords 
but slight protection against damp and 
cold. 

Neglect of Exercise and Fresh Air. — In 
America it is not fashionable for ladies to 
row, bowl, ride, or walk much. All active 
exercise is considered unfeminine, and in- 
jurious to that delicacy of the complexion 
and figure so much desired. In Europe, 
on the contrary, ladies are encouraged to 
participate in most of the out-door sports 
calculated to increase muscular power and 
offer a healthful diversion to mind and 
body. The result is seen in the ruddier 
look of the young, and the better preserved 
comeliness of the old. American ladies 
attract the attention of foreigners quite as 
much by their apparent delicacy of health 
as by their acknowledged beauty. "With 
more air and more exercise, much of the 

24 



278 A physician's counsels to woman-. 

former would be dissipated, while the latter 
would be heightened. 

Improper Nervous Excitement. — Undue 
stimulus is applied to the nervous system 
even during the days of girlhood. The 
minds of young girls are taxed by tasks 
too prolonged and too difficult, their, am- 
bition is aroused by the emulation excited 
by competitive examinations, and their 
powers overstrained under the plaudits of 
injudicious friends. This training may, 
indeed, produce brilliant talents and culti- 
vated tastes, but these qualities, too early 
developed, are purchased at the expense of 
a nervous system morbidly sensitive, and a 
physical organization peculiarly liable to 
the diseases of which we are about to speak. 

Imprudences during the Monthly Periods. 
— Ignorance, carelessness, or stern necessity 
leads many women, during their periods, to 
expose themselves, when insufficiently clad, 
to cold and damp weather. Inflammation 
and pain, often obstinate, sometimes incu- 
rable, are the consequences. 

At this time of the month, of all others, 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 279 

the body should be warmly covered, kept 
at rest, and sheltered from any inclemency 
of t}ie weather. There are few women so 
situated that they cannot care for them- 
selves during their monthly illnesses, but 
there are many who disregard the warnings 
of common sense and experience, in the 
pursuit of pleasure or profit. If our words 
can do aught to impress upon such the folly 
and danger of imprudences during men- 
struation, we shall have done much towards 
preventing disease. 

The Production of Abortion. — "We have 
already emphasized the criminality of cie- 
stroying the product of conception before 
maturity. "We speak of it now, not as a 
crime, but as a cause of disease. She who 
conspires against the life of her unborn 
child, risks her own health ; in striking at 
its existence, she wounds herself. Criminal 
abortion is the cause of a vast amount of 
severe, painful, and unyielding disease. In 
all classes of society, its effects are unfor- 
tunately too frequently observed by phy- 
sicians. 



280 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Want of Care after Childbirth. — Most 
women get about too soon after confine- 
ment. In so doing, they expose themselves 
to many risks. If the usual occupations 
are resumed while the cleansings are yet 
present, they will be probably checked, and 
mischief will result. Besides, the womb 
remains very heavy for about six weeks 
after the birth of the child. If the mother 
be about, standing and walking, she runs 
the danger of displacing that organ. A 
large proportion of the displacements of the 
womb, so difficult .entirely to remedy, are 
caused in this way. The parts from which 
the child has been lately expelled, remain 
for a number of weeks very sensitive to 
cold or moisture. Ignorance or disregard 
of this fact may occasion severe and even 
fatal inflammation. 

The Prevention of Disease in Woman. 

Providence never designed that women 
should suffer, to the extent they do, from 
diseases peculiar to their sex. There is 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 281 

nothing inherent in the female constitution, 
which causes the undue amount of physical 
misery now so common. Most of the affec- 
tions, under which the maids, wives, and 
mothers of our country and age labor, are 
preventable. They originate in ignorance 
or imprudence. This is true of two-thirds 
of all the cases. 

"We see constantly about us the results 
of inheritance, and of the want of proper 
care during infancy and girlhood; every 
physician knows how frequently the monthly 
periods are recklessly interfered with, how 
imprudently marriages are contracted, how 
commonly miscarriages and abortions are 
made light of, and how difficult it is to 
induce the mother to confine herself to her 
bed and room sufficiently long after con- 
finement. Is it to be wondered at, therefore, 
that so many suffer from the various forms 
of womb disease? 

Before entering upon the treatment of 
some of the principal complaints to which 
women are liable, we will point out a num- 
ber of measures which, if carried out, will 

24* 



282 A physician's counsels to woman. 

go far towards preventing many of these 
affections, and their sad consequences, in 
loss of health and happiness. First, we 
will mention 

Systematic Health Culture. — By this we 
mean a regular and judicious system of 
physical education from the period of 
infancy. It is easy to point out many 
injurious customs which yet prevail in 
regard to the conduct of girlhood. "We 
imitate, to a certain extent, the Chinese 
and our own aboriginal Indians, in the 
treatment of our daughters. The feet of a 
fashionable American young lady are nearly 
as cramped and deformed as those of any 
of the belles of China. Do not mothers 
often insist upon compressing the waist out 
of shape, and proper size, for fear the girl 
may be clumsy? In what respect is this 
practice more creditable than that of the 
red-skinned matron, who alters the form 
nature has given to her child's head ? In 
none is it less hurtful. "We have never 
heard that the mental faculties were in- 
jured by distorting the bones of the skull 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 283 

by means of gradual bandaging. The evil 
effects of tight-lacing are only too familiar 
in our professional experience. Again, 
is the custom altogether unknown, of pre- 
venting the full development of the body 
and limbs of girls, lest they should become 
ungenteel, or of confining them to the 
house, lest their complexions should suffer 
by exposure to the air and sunlight? There 
is no reason why girls should not ride and 
wim as often and as well as boys. Both 
exercises are beneficial, and, if indulged in 
at proper seasons, as free from injury to 
one sex as the other. 

Precautions during the Monthly Periods. 
— By careful management at these times, 
very much may be done towards averting 
disease. A great amount of harm is conse- 
quent on the habit of looking lightly upon 
the monthly sicknesses, regarding them as 
the expressions of a natural function re- 
quiring no oversight or thought. As a 
consequence, we find that those who have 
little or no pain impose upon themselves 
no restraints whatever; while those who 



284: A physician's counsels to woman. 

suffer acutely, regard this suffering as 
unavoidable, and without the control of 
medicine and hygiene. 

"We cannot too emphatically urge the 
importance of regarding these monthly 
returns as periods of ill health, as days 
when the ordinary occupations are to be 
suspended or modified. This rule holds 
good in all classes of society. Long walks, 
dancing, shopping, riding, and parties 
should be avoided at this time of the 
month invariably and under all circum- 
stances. Inasmuch as cold applications 
usually check the flow, and may give rise 
to serious disease, women ought to avoid 
exposure to wet weather, to cold draughts 
of air, to damp clothing, and to the chilling 
influence of iced drinks, while sick. During 
this time, also, all medicines that are being 
taken should, unless otherwise specially 
ordered by the physician, be stopped. A 
slight purgative just before the expected 
illness is often of benefit, but the too fre- 
quent use of purgatives may do much 
mischief. If the flow become too abun- 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 285 

dant, the patient should confine herself for 
most^ of the day to a sofa or lounge, and 
take but little fluid. If, on the contrary, it 
stops too soon, a brisk walk, a hot drink, or 
a warm foot-bath, will be of service. If the 
periods be habitually painful, profuse, or 
scanty, the treatment we shall shortly lay 
down for these troubles should be heeded. 

Another reason why every woman should 
look upon herself as an invalid once a 
month, is that the monthly flow aggravates 
any existing affection of the womb, and 
readily rekindles the expiring flame of 
disease. To the imprudences of patients, 
at this time, are to be attributed the relapses 
which retard their recovery. Most patients 
give up treatment before they are quite 
cured of a womb complaint, on account of 
the expense. They then resume their usual 
mode of life, act in a culpable manner at 
the menstrual epochs, renew their trouble, 
and blame their medical attendant for the 
effects of their own folly. 

A well-assorted Marriage. — We have al- 
ready spoken of the good effect, upon 



286 A physician's counsels to woman. 

female health, of a judicious marriage. 
"Weakness, not dependent upon organic 
disease, under its influence often quickly 
disappears ; monthly periods, previously 
deranged, become normal; and the general 
condition improves. 

Marriage has this salutary influence only 
when well ordered; if contracted too early 
or too late in life, it may prove injurious to 
the health. 

Pregnancy is also a preservative of female 
health. It is only a miscarriage, or a bad 
confinement, that is productive of injury. 
Many serious diseases of the womb arise 
from abortion; many others, from the want 
of proper care after confinement. But it must 
be recollected that conception and child- 
birth are natural functions, and cannot, in 
themselves, be hurtful. The accidents 
which may attend them are the cause of 
mischief. But these accidents are avoida- 
ble, as a rule. A woman who has passed 
successfully through a pregnancy, and 
nursed her child, has not thereby weakened, 



WOMAK IK DISEASE. 287 

on the contrary, she has strengthened all 
her powers. Child-bearing, if not exces- 
sive, preserves health and prolongs life. It 
may, therefore, properly find a place here 
among the preventives of disease in woman. 



PAINFUL PERIODS. 

The monthly periods should tjp attended 
with little or no suffering, merely slight 
pains in the back and loins, a feeling of 
fulness in the lower part of the body, and 
an inclination to languor. When the pain 
is great, out of proportion to the occasion, 
the patient has a disease known to phy- 
sicians under the name of dysmenorrhea — 
a term formed from three Greek words, Svg, 
"difficult;" fiyjVj "a month," and peco, "I 
flow," and meaning therefore difficult, labo- 
rious, or painful menstruation. 

Different Forms of the Affection. — The 
excessive pain maybe due either to neu- 
ralgia of the parts, to congestion, or 
inflammation, or to some obstruction in the 
natural outlet to the monthly flow. In 
orcter that we may have a better under- 
standing of this disease we must consider 
(288) 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 289 

each of these forms separately, for their 
symptoms, causes, and treatment vary. 



Painful Periods due to Neuralgia. 

The pain, in this form of the affection, 
is unconnected with any actual disease or 
change in the structure of the parts. The 
whole trouble lies in a deranged condition 
of the nerves. Each month, previous to 
the appearance of the flow, the bloodvessels 
are filled to distension, and press upon the 
filaments of the nerves, which, being sensi- 
tive in their disordered condition, feel 
acutely this* pressure. Hence, we have the 
pain. The nerves alone are at fault, and 
the disease is, therefore, said to be neu- 
ralgic. 

The causes must be looked for among the 
various influences which affect the nervous 
system. Whatever tends to produce neu- 
ralgic pain elsewhere, will produce it here, 
in those liable to the complaint. Green sick- 
ness and deterioration of the blood from 
insufficient or improper nourishment 5 an 

25 



290 A physician's counsels to woman. 

idle life, and excessive indulgence in the 
pleasures of the table ; exposure to the air 
of a fever and ague country; gout and 
rheumatism; excesses of all kinds; over- 
excitement and fatigue, are all agencies 
which may occasion neuralgia of the monthly 
periods.- 

The symptoms are reducible to one, pain. 
This pain precedes and ushers in, as it 
were, the flow. It is the dread announce- 
ment of the coming sickness, and the fore- 
runner of days of torture. In some cases, 
the pam ceases so soon as the flow is 
established; ordinarily, it continues during 
the whole period, varying in intensity from 
time to time. The seat of the pain is 
usually m the loins. Sometimes it is 
located at some distant part of the body; 
for instance, it may be situated in a finger, 
or, as in one instance on record, at the root 
of the nose, where it continued during the 
whole duration of each monthly flow. 

The. treatment of painful periods due to 
neuralgia, depends, to a great extent, upon 
the cause which is at work. The first aim 



"WOMAN IN DISEASE. 291 

should be to determine, and the second to 
remove this cause, whatever it may be. If 
green sickness and impairment of the blood 
exist, then the proper treatment is that 
which is best calculated to restore the blood 
to a healthy condition. The means to be 
employed for this purpose we shall hereafter 
mention in treating of "Poverty of the 
Blood." 

If there be reason to suspect that luxuri- 
ous and indolent habits are deranging the 
health, the mode of life should be changed. 
Unless the patient will make the necessary 
effort to this end, it will be in vain for her 
to expect relief from her sufferings. In 
these cases, a removal to the country is 
often beneficial, where the active, out-door 
life, the regular hours, the plain, simple, 
but wholesome food, often effect wonders. 
Horseback exercise, carriage riding, and 
daily walks, are all beneficial. 

"When the system is infected with the 
ague poison, a removal to a healthy location 
is of the first importance. The malarial 



292 A physician's counsels to woman. 

poison may then be readily eradicated from 
the system by the use of the following 
recipe :— 

Take of— 

Sulphate of cinchonia . . 1 drachm. 

Sulphate of iron . . . .30 grains. 

Confection of roses . a sufficient quantity 
to make into a mass. Divide into thirty pills. 
Take one pill three times a day. 

"With the disappearance of the malarial 
infection, tfre neuralgic pain will also be 
dissipated. In fact, there is no form of 
disordered menstruation so readily cured 
as that depending upon malaria, for with 
proper treatment the cause is soon removed. 

"When a tendency to gout and rheuma- 
tism is the cause of the trouble, the treat- 
ment is more complicated and difficult. 
"When the means of the patient will permit, 
it is desirable to spend the winter months 
in a warm climate. Flannel is to be worn 
next to the skin during cold weather. In 
these cases, guaiac and colchicum are of 
service : — 



WOMAK IN DISEASE. 293 

Take of— 

Tincture of guaiac .... 1 fluidounce, 
Syrup of orange-peel ... 3 ounces. 
Mix. 
Take a dessertspoonful three times a day in some 
water. 

A good formula for colchicum is the fol- 
lowing : — 

Take of— 
Wine of colchicum seeds . . 1 fluidounce, 
Sweet spirits of nitre . . 1 fluidounce, 
Syrup of orange-peel ... 2 fluidounces. 
Mix. 
Take a teaspoonful three times a day. 

Or, the guaiac and colchicum can be 
combined in one prescription as follows : — 

Take of— 

Tincture of guaiac . . .1 fluidounce, 
Wine of colchicum seeds . . 1 fluidounce, 
Syrup of orange-peel ... 2 fluidounces. 

Mix. 
Take a dessertspoonful three times a day. 

The one of these prescriptions chosen, 
should be taken during the week or ten 
days previously to the expected return of the 

25* 



294 A physician's counsels to woman. 

monthly sickness and continued throughout 
the whole period of the sickness. Neither 
of the recipes will be found very agreeable 
to the taste ; either, however, will be found 
of great benefit in the cases of rheumatic 
origin. The use of the Turkish bath is also 
often of benefit in these instances. 

Those who labor under these attacks are 
frequently sterile. In many cases, preg- 
nancy and child-birth effect a radical cure. 

Painful Periods due to Congestion. 

The painful periods may not be owing to 
neuralgia ; the nerves of the parts may be 
in a healthy condition, and the patient may 
never have had any neuralgic affection in 
her life. Yet she suffers almost martyr- 
dom every month. The trouble in these 
instances is frequently due to congestion, 
that is, an unusual flow of blood to the 
parts, distending the vessels to an unna- 
tural extent, and hence causing pain. 

The causes of this undue congestion are 
exposure to cold and moisture, mental ex- 



WOMAN IN" DISEASE. 295 

citement or alarm, derangement of the liver, 
or displacements of the womb. 

The symptoms are different from the neu- 
ralgic affection we have just described. 
The suddenness of the attack is one pecu- 
liarity, the pain comes on unexpectedly, in 
the midst of a monthly period in a patient 
who has never suffered before. There is 
also much constitutional disturbance, that 
is, other parts of the system are affected. 
The eyes are flushed, the pulse is full and 
bounding, the skin hot, the head aching, and 
the sufferer nervous and restless. 

The treatment. Here again we come face 
to face with the question as to the cause; 
for this must be ascertained before we can 
institute successful treatment. If the pa- 
tient has taken cold, a warm bath, and some 
hot drink, with the addition of a little 
sweet spirits of nitre, will be the proper 
remedies. The application of a large hot 
linseed-meal poultice, over which a dessert- 
spoonful of laudanum has been sprinkled, 
will be found to afford great relief. It 
should be placed over the lower part of the 



296 a physician's counsels to woman. 

abdomen, and renewed every two hours. 
From twenty to twenty-five drops of lauda- 
num in a little thin starch may also be used 
as an injection. 

Painful Periods due to Obstruction. 

"We have now spoken of two forms of 
difficult menstruation, i. e., that in which 
the pain is occasioned by neuralgia and that 
in which it is due to excessive distension 
of the bloodvessels. It remains for us to 
mention that if the monthly flow is re- 
tained or obstructed in its passage by any 
obstacle, severe pain is the result. The 
obstruction may be caused by a narrowing 
of the passages, by a displacement of the 
womb, or by the presence of some tumor or 
polypus. 

It is evident that where an obstruction 
exists, the aid of the surgeon is required 
both to ascertain its nature and to apply 
the proper remedy. Fortunately the oc- 
currence of disease of this kind is compara- 
tively rare. "When excessive pain exists at 



"WOMAN IN DISEASE. 297 

the monthly epochs, it is usually either 
neuralgic in character, or due to some con- 
gestion or inflammation. 

The following ointment may be used with 
benefit in any of the forms of painful men- 
struation : — 

Take of— 

Belladonna liniment . . 2 drachms, 
Glycerine ointment . . 1 ounce. 
Mix. 
Rub a small portion of this daily into the skin of the 
lower part of the abdomen, during the continuance 
of the pain. 

For two or three evenings, prior to the 
expected sickness, a warm hip-bath or foot- 
bath will be a useful palliative. The bath 
will not merely be grateful and soothing 
to the patient, but it will relieve congestion 
and facilitate the flow. 

Injections of warm water into the vagina, 
thrown well up in contact with the mouth 
of the womb, are followed by marked 
alleviation of the pain. The injections 
should be repeated several times a day 
during the period. 



298 a physician's counsels to woman. 

A safe, efficient, and pleasant remedy for 
the pains of the monthly period has lately 
come into use in the profession. It is apiol, 
the active principle of parsley. This is put 
up "by the pharmaceutist in the form of very 
little pills, or " pearls," as they are called, 
each containing four grains. One taken 
every two hours after the pains begin acts, 
in some cases, like a charm. This drug is 
only useful, however, in those instances in 
which there is no actual organic disease of 
the womb. 

A very useful prescription is the follow- 
ing:— 



Take of— 

Camphor 1 J drachm, 

Extract of belladonna, 
Sulphate of quinine, each 15 grains, 
Pulverized gum-arabic, a sufficient quantity 
to make in forty pills. 
Take one every four hours until the pain is relieved. 

Much benefit is derived in many cases, 
particularly in those of idle and luxurious 
habits, from the use of bromide of potas- 
sium. 



WOMAN IIST DISEASE. 299 

Take of— 

Bromide of potassium . 2 drachms, 
Water 2 fluidounces. 

Mix. 

A teaspoonful of this, in half a wineglass of water, is 
to be taken an hour after each meal. 

The use of this prescription should be 
begun two or three days before the expected 
time of suffering, and continued until the 
amount given above is exhausted. The 
same quantity is to be obtained and taken 
at the next period, in the same manner, until 
permanent relief is secured. 



PROFUSE PERIODS. 

"Whe^ the flow of blood, at the monthly 
period, is excessive, the woman is said to 
have menorrhagia, a medical term, which 
means profuse flooding. It is derived from 
two Greek words, m v, "a month," and 
pviywph "I flow fiercely." This derange- 
ment of the menstrual function is not at all 
unfrequent. The amount of blood lost in 
this way is sometimes very considerable. 
The flooding often continues after the usual 
period has passed away. 

The causes of excessive flooding are con- 
gestion or inflammation of the womb, some 
disease of the lining membrane or walls of 
that organ, or some trouble consequent on 
pregnancy. At the change of life women" 
are very liable to congestion of the womb, 
and hence flooding is frequent at this age. 
Any violent or unusual muscular effort 
(300) 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 301 

may occasion it. It is the usual concomi- 
tant of an abortion, and may also occur as 
the result of derangement of the liver. 

The effects of profuse flooding are pallor, 
loss of flesh, dyspepsia, hysteria, sterility, 
and, if severe and unchecked, death. 

There are two varieties of this affection: 
one, in which the undue loss of blood occurs 
at the time of the monthly periods ; the 
other, in which the flooding takes place at 
some time between these periods. 

Treatment — This is twofold : first, treat- 
ment of the attack ; and, secondly, curative 
treatment, instituted to prevent the recur- 
rence of an attack. 

The object sought, during the flooding, is 
to check it as soon as possible. This may 
be accomplished by placing the patient on 
her back, and applying cold wet cloths to 
the lower part of the body and thighs. 
Cold, sour drinks may be given in small 
quantity, but no warm drinks are to be 
allowed. The patient must be kept .quiet, 
her fears allayed, and the room made cool 

26 



302 A physician's counsels to woman. 

and still. Ordinarily this is all the treat- 
ment which will be required. 

Before instituting this, it must be recol- 
lected that some women lose naturally and 
regularly a large amount of blood each 
month, and that this loss takes place with- 
out any injury to them. Every woman is 
a law to herself in this respect. ~No one 
should, therefore, seek to check a flow 
which is natural to. her, although it may 
seem excessive, as compared with the habit 
of some others. It must also be borne in 
mind that, during the early months of 
pregnancy, it is not unusual for a loss of 
blood to occur from time to time unexpect- 
edly. When there is reason to suspect 
pregnancy, care should be taken in those 
cases not to have recourse to any treatment 
likely to induce loss of the foetus. In such 
instances, rest in the recumbent position 
will usually be all that is required. 

In severe cases of flooding, either of the 
following prescriptions will be found in- 
valuable. 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 303 

Take of— 

Gallic acid 3 drachms, 

Aromatic sulphuric acid 2 drachms, 
Tincture of cinnamon, 

Water each 2 ounces. 

Mix. 
Take a tablespoonful, mixed in a wineglassful of 
water, every few hours until the bleeding is checked. 

In the manner directed, this prescription 
can be taken without hesitation, for it con- 
tains nothing which is hurtful. 

Take of— 

Oil of turpentine . . . . ' -J- ounce, 
Tincture of red pepper . . J drachm, 
Tincture of ergot .... 1 drachm, 
Compound tincture of la- 
vender 2 ounces. 

Mix. 
Shake the bottle, and give from half a teaspoonful to 
a teaspoonful, in milk, every few hours. 



SCANTY AND StJPPEESSED 

PEEIODS. 

"When the menstrual flow is less than is 
ordinary, it is said to be scanty; when it is 
suppressed, after puberty and before the 
change of life, we have, unless the suppres- 
sion be due to pregnancy or nursing, the 
disease known to physicians as amenorrhoea, 
a word derived from the Greek, meaning 
an absence of flow. 

This trouble is by no means a rare one. 
It is particularly common among those in 
easy circumstances, who lead indolent and 
luxurious lives. 

There are two varieties of this affection : 
in the one, the monthly sickness fails to 
appear, or is suddenly suppressed, in v a 
woman who is regular ; in the other, it has 
never made its appearance, although the 
period of puberty has been attained and 
passed. 

( 304 ) 



WOMAST IK DISEASE. 305 

The causes of suppression of the menses 
are numerous. The monthly sickness may 
never have appeared, because of the absence 
of the womb, or some of its appendages. 
This cause is of course a rare one. So, 
also, is some obstruction of the natural 
outlet which retains the monthly secretion. 

Much more commonly we find the disease 
owing to some disorder of the moral feelings. 
Anxiety, grief, disappointment, fear, etc. 
may, by acting first upon the brain and 
nervous system, and then upon the blood, 
bring about irregularity in the monthly 
periods. Under such circumstances, both 
body and mind are depressed, the muscular 
powers become languid, there is a sense of 
fulness about the head, associated with 
giddiness, the lungs and heart seem op- 
pressed in their action, the appetite is 
disordered, the blood becomes vitiated, and 
the cheeks and lips lose their color, per- 
haps take a bluish or greenish hue. The 
monthly function, of course, sympathizes 
with this general disorder of the system; 
its derangement reacts upon the general 

26* 



306 A PHYSICIAN'S counsels to woman. 

system, and unless the train of morbid 
action is interrupted, the patient becomes 
seriously ill, and may even die of " disap- 
pointed affections," or " a broken heart." 

"When," as Dr. Tilt well remarks, "we 
hear of the hair turning gray, in the space 
of one night, from the mind being racked 
with unutterable woe; when we know that 
even slight emotions may cause the heart 
to palpitate, and to push forth wearily the 
ever-gushing blood stream; when, again, 
from emotion, the cheeks become damask 
with blushes, or pallid, damp, and cold, need 
we wonder that mental emotion should 
affect other equally sensitive parts of the 
body; that it should, in fact, turn off the 
sanguineous current from the pale-grown 
surface of the womb ? It is, therefore, of 
no trifling importance to the health of 
women forcibly to impress upon their 
friends that at this particular period of the 
month no bad news or disastrous event 
should be suddenly communicated. If it 
be not possible to have some previous con- 
versation with a female relative, the blow 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 307 

should not be struck until the gay and 
unsuspecting spirit has been untuned, and 
by degrees brought down to the diapason 
of grief, by an increasing gravity of manner, 
by gradual forebodings of possible misfor- 
tune, and such preparatory steps as can 
only be suggested by the nature of the 
misfortune. It also behooves all who have 
the care of girls so to strengthen the 
nervous system that they may in after life 
suffer as little as possible from this cause; 
a part of education which should be begun 
as soon as the infant, by its shiverings, 
fears, and passions, has convinced its 
mother that it has a nervous system. "We 
have certainly met with ladies who, at all 
periods of the month, could with impunity 
wash in cold water, or take a cold-bath, 
and we are acquainted with one who has, 
in winter, to break the ice in her bath before 
she plunges in; but we only notice these 
cases as remarkable exceptions, in order to 
show the possibility of these ladies being 
able to do so with impunity, on account of 
the absence of all tendency to nervousness, 



308 A physician's counsels to -woman. 

and the superior strength of rnind exhibited 
by them under the most trying circum- 
stances of an agitated life." 

The most frequent causes of continued 
suppression are physical rather than moral. 
They are want of proper diet, air, and 
exercise, hereditary tendencies, mental ex- 
citement, over-stimulation of the passions, 
too prolonged devotion to physical or men- 
tal labor, and continued disorder of the 
nervous system. 

In consumption of the lungs, the monthly 
sickness, as is well known, gradually lessens 
in amount, and finally entirely disappears. 
This is due to the want of vital power, and 
the impoverishment of the blood. But 
little of course can be done under such cir- 
cumstances. Treatment should be directed 
towards the diseased lungs, and no endea- 
vors made to restore a function which is 
not in itself disordered. 

Rheumatism and gout occasionally bring 
about suppression. So, also, do various 
eruptive and skin diseases. The remedy in 
such instances is to be sought in the relief 



WOMAK IN DISEASE. 309 

of the rheumatic and cutaneous troubles. 
The cases on record show that when these 
diseases are • cured the monthly sickness 
reappears without other treatment. 

Fevers, and other serious attacks of sick- 
ness, naturally react upon the womb. The 
cessation of the natural flow, under such 
circumstances, is not unexpected, and need 
never excite alarm. After convalescence 
shall, have begun, its reappearance may be 
confidently looked for. If delayed, the 
attention of the attending physician should 
be called to the fact, as it occasionally 
happens that some little treatment is re- 
quired before the wonted healthy action is 
restored. 

Nervous irritations produce in some mys- 
terious way disorder in the menstrual life. 
In some cases, the cause of this nervous irri- 
tation is hidden, and its true nature not fully 
understood. Prof. Hodge, of Philadelphia, 
describes such a condition as follows : — 

" Thus suppression of the periods occa- 
sionally occurs in girls who are apparently 
healthy. The phenomena of puberty are 



310 A physician's counsels to woman. 

decided; the skeleton, the muscles, the 
breasts, the fatty tissue, are all well de- 
veloped, under the influence of good rich 
blood, which distends the smaller vessels, 
and gives the ruddy tinge of health to the 
whole surface. The brain is active; the 
muscular, mental, and moral powers are all 
indicative of perfect adolescence. Never- 
theless, there is no menstruation. It is a 
case of suppression in a strong girl, arising 
therefore, not from want of strength, but 
from some peculiar state of the nervous 
system ; there is a sedation, that is, a want 
of that peculiar excitation which gives 
origin to menstruation. In some such 
supposed cases, there may be an absence, 
or an obliteration, in the structure of the 
uterus or of the ovaries, etc., or an obstruc- 
tion in the vagina, or some other cause 
explanatory of the non-appearance of the 
menses. But, in many cases, no such 
cause can be detected, and indeed does 
not exist; for, eventually, the menses ap- 
pear and return regularly." 

This same state may also be observed in 



WOMAtf I]ST DISEASE. 311 

cases of suppression of the menses, from any 
accidental cause, as mental disturbances, 
exposure to cold, etc. The menses stop, but 
the general condition continues yery good. 
The cases are numerous of young women 
whose menses have thus disappeared, and 
yet they have enjoyed good health for a 
longer or shorter time, or even for the rest 
of their lives. 

" In those cases of suppression where the 
irritation is located in the brain or spinal 
cord, the consequences may be severe, 
although seldom dangerous. Usually, the 
patient appears perfectly well, is cheerful, 
happy, and actively devoted to her ordinary 
pursuits, bat with a nervous system so sus- 
ceptible that the least impression disturbs 
it. A disagreeable object, an unpleasant 
odor, a transitory mental or moral emotion, 
will sometimes produce sensations of ex- 
haustion, giddiness, languor, and even com- 
plete fainting ; and if the cause be more 
powerful, as fear, joy, anger, or severe pain 
in any portion of the body, we have mani- 
fested the various forms of hysteria, such as 



312 A physician's counsels to woman. 

headaches, a sense of suffocation, the ball in 
the throat, spasms, and convulsions." 

These symptoms of nervous disturbance 
usually quickly disappear under healthful 
influences, the monthly habits are restored, 
and the whole trouble passes away never to 
return. 

Cold exerts a marked influence upon the 
suppression of menstruation. Particularly 
is this the case, when moisture also is 
present. "Wet or damp feet often check the 
menstrual flow, and may prevent its return. 
In many instances, in which, in order to 
spend an evening in pleasure, recourse has 
been had to immersing the feet in cold 
water, or to taking a cold hip-bath during 
the period, not only has an attack of illness 
been brought about, but the health for ever 
after has been impaired. ]N"o woman can, 
with impunity, commit such an impru- 
dence. Every girl should be warned of its 
danger. A single indiscretion of this kind, 
we repeat, may be attended with the saddest 
consequences ; may render miserable and 
burdensome to self and others a life which 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 313 

would otherwise have been happy and* use- 
ful. 

Prof. Charles D. Meigs relates one in- 
stance, of many which might be mentioned, 
wherein a future has been wrecked by a 
single act of imprudence : — 

"A young lady, in consummate health, 
wished to go to a ball ; but, unfortunately, 
before the time for dressing arrived, she 
was taken poorly, and began to fret at the 
occurrence. Her nurse, an old and confi- 
dential servant, made her take a hip-bath 
of cold water, and the courses disappeared. 
She went to the ball ; came home before 
the end, with a blinding headache; was 
attacked with a brain fever, lost her bloom 
and embonpoint; and now, at the age of 
near fifty, still feels the * effects of the 
dereliction of duty on the part of the confi- 
dential servant. That lady's whole life 
was rendered a scene of bitterness, of 
vapors and caprices, by that single hip- 
bath." 

There is no excuse for wet, cold feet, at 
any season of the year, in this country. 

27 



314 a physician's counsels to woman. 

Every woman can protect herself against 
them during her monthly illness. If the 
weather be inclement, and it be necessary 
for her to go out of doors, thick boots and 
shoes, rubber overhauls or boots, and water- 
proof, will, protect her. Damp clothes 
should be at once removed on returning to 
the house, and, if the feet be cold, they 
should be immersed in warm water and 
dried before a fire. 

Dr. Kaon, of Copenhagen, mentions that 
suppression of the monthly flow is extremely 
frequent in the Feroe Islands, on account 
of the women wearing, instead of shoes, a 
skin round their feet, which keeps them 
constantly wet, in damp, cold weather. 

The treatment of a case of sudden sup- 
pression, to whatever cause it may be due, 
should be prompt and decisive. A warm 
hip-bath, containing mustard, should - be 
taken at once, and the patient should then 
place herself in a warm bed, and take freely 
of hot drinks. These precautions ought 
never to be neglected. They can never be 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 315 

productive of any injury, and may avert 
some fatal brain affection, or a life-long 
disease. 

"When the time of the expected monthly 
sickness arrives, and no flow appears, in- 
quiry should at once be made into the cause, 
for it is obvious that the same treatment is 
not required in a case of suppression due 
to mental emotion, as in one due to rheu- 
matism. "We will pass, therefore, in review 
the principal causes we have already enu- 
merated, in order to point out the treatment 
required for their removal, and for the 
eradication of their effects. 

Mental and Moral Disturbances. — "When 
it is possible to minister successfully to 
" the mind diseased," this is usually all the 
treatment required. Restore the nervous 
system to a state of tranquillity, by soothing 
the anxious or grieved feelings, and all 
irregularity will quickly disappear. 

In consumption, and other organic disease, 
the primary affection must receive the 
principal attention. It alone calls for treat- 



316 A physician's counsels to woman. 



ment. !N~o good can possibly result from 
endeavoring, by forcing medicines, to cause 
a renewal of the monthly flow, the absence 
of which is not the cause, but the effect, of 
the constitutional disease. In rheumatism 
or gout, the same course of action is 
required. The remedies administered are 
aimed at the rheumatic or gouty affection, 
which stands like a barrier in the way of a 
return of the periodic flow. 

Want of Strength. — "When feeble health, 
exhaustion of the vital powers, unaccom- 
panied with any positive organic disease, is 
the cause of the suppression, the proper 
remedies are sufficiently obvious. They 
consist of those articles of food, those forms 
of exercise, and those tonic medicinal reme- 
dies, which are known to exert a revivifying 
influence upon the prostrated system. For 
the purpose of restoring the appetite, and 
toning up the system, in those cases, a very 
useful and elegant preparation is the fol- 
lowing, known as the 



WOMAN" IN DISEASE. 317 

Elixir of Gentian and Iron. 
Take of— 

i 

Pyrophosphate of iron . 1 drachm, 

Boiling water . . . . \ ounce, 
Mix and add 

Fluid extract of gentian . \ ounce, 

Curacoa \\ ounce, 

Wine 1 \ ounce. 

Mix. 
A teaspoonful three times a day is the proper dose. 

Or, the pyrophosphate of iron (a most 
excellent and not disagreeable form of iron) 
may. be given alone, dissolved in water, 
with a little curacoa added to give a plea- 
sant flavor, as follows : — 

Take of— 

Pyrophosphate of iron . 2 drachms, 

Cura§oa \ ounce, 

Water 2J ounces. 

Mix. 
Take a teaspoonful three or four times a day. 

An excellent remedy for suppression, 
when there is no disease of the womb, is 
apiol — the active principle of parsley — 
which is so useful in painful periods. Apiol 
may be obtained from first-class druggists 

27* 



318 A physician's counsels to woman. 

in the form of granules, or "pearls." Each 
pearl contains four grains. One pearl 
should be taken four times a day, for three 
or four days, before the time of the expected 
monthly sickness. This remedy is a per- 
fectly harmless one, and is productive of 
great good in those cases in which the 
trouble is not dependent upon actual womb 
disease. 

The following pill will also be found of 
service in some cases : — 

Take of— 

Assafcetida, 

Myrrh each 1 drachm, 

Socotrine aloes .... 1 scruple, 
Lactate of iron .... 1 drachm. 
Mix. 

Make into forty pills. • 
Take one night and morning. 



STERILITY IN MARRIAGE. 

As maid, as wife, and as mother, woman 
happily passes through the three destined 
stages of her physiological life. When she 
fails to become a mother, the wife stops 
short of full womanly development and 
happiness. A childless household was re- 
garded by the ancients as an evidence of 
Divine displeasure. It is often with us the 
cause of much domestic infelicity. A 
French poet, singing of the joys of mater- 
nity, says: — 
" Le bonheur sans enfant, c'est le ciel sans etoiles." 

The study of the nature of barrenness, with 
the view to its prevention, is, therefore, a 
proper part of family hygiene, and its 
treatment a legitimate department of medi- 
cine. 

During two portions of the life of every 
woman, she is naturally, that is to say, in 
accordance with physiological laws, sterile. 

( 319 ) 



320 A physician's counsels to woman. 

These periods are before the age of puberty, 
and after the "change of life." She is only 
capable of bearing children subsequent to 
the first appearance of her monthly sick- 
ness, and before their entire cessation — a 
variable number of years, embracing be- 
tween a third and a half of her natural 
expectation of life. 

Sterility makes itself apparent very 
shortly after marriage. If the wife be 
fertile, she will have, as an average rule, an 
infant within the first twenty months of 
wedded life. If three years pass without 
the occurrence of pregnancy, the great 
probability, as shown by exact statistics, is 
that she is destined to be barren. 

The causes of infertility in marriage may 
rest either with the wife or the husband. 
The latter may be the party at fault, even 
though he be to all appearance robust, and 
in the full enjoyment of all his functions. 
The constitutional conditions and local 
disorders which induce sterility in the wife 
are, however, the more numerous, and it is 
to them that we shall confine our remarks. 



WOMAN" IK DISEASE. 321 

One marriage in eight fails in the great 
object of the marital union — the increase 
and multiplication of the race. It must 
not be supposed that conception has never 
taken place in all of these childless mar- 
riages. In some instances, a tendency to 
miscarriage exists, and the abortion occurs 
at so early a period as to escape attention. 
"When recognized, this cause is happily, in 
most cases, removable. 

Influence of the Age of Marriage on the 
probable Size of the Family. — The age of 
the maiden, at the time of her marriage, 
has a sensible influence upon the number 
of children she will probably have. This is 
not a matter of conjecture. Averages have 
been carefully collated, from the most ex- 
tended research. Dr. Matthews Duncan, 
of Edinburgh, has recorded, in his recent 
learned work on "Fecundity, Fertility, and 
Sterility," a number of most interesting 
results of his investigations on this subject. 
These, freed from their sombre statistical 
array and scientific terminology, we will 



322 A physician's counsels to woman. 

transfer, for the benefit of our non-medical 
readers, to our pages. 

A woman married between twenty and 
twenty-five years of age, is less apt to be 
sterile than if married earlier or later ; for, 
it has been found in England, that nearly 
all such wives are fertile. The probabili- 
ties of a woman married after her twenty- 
fourth year, being childless, are greater the 
older she is. One in fourteen of all wives, 
between fifteen and nineteen years of age, 
is barren. Among these youthful wives, 
also, under twenty, instances of excessive 
fertility are more frequently met with than 
among any other. Thus, the bride under 
nineteen runs a much greater risk of suffer- 
ing from the evils both of childlessness and 
of over-production than if she had tarried 
a few years longer in single life. 

The Age at the time of Marriage also influ- 
ences the Period which will probably elapse 
before the Wife becomes a Mother, — We have 
stated that the average interval for all 
wives, between the date of marriage and 
the birth of the first child, is about twenty 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 323 

months. In cases in which the marriage 
takes place between the twentieth and 
twenty-fourth year, this interval is less- 
ened. Neither younger nor older wives 
enter so soon, on the average, upon their 
career of child-bearing. 

The A.ge of Marriage likewise affects the 
time during which the Wife will continue to 
bear Children. — The older she is when mar- 
ried, the more advanced will be her age at 
the time she ceases to increase her family. 
It must not be understood, however, that 
her period of child-bearing is longer than 
that of the younger bride. Such is not the 
case. It is, in its actual number of years, 
shorter. But by continuing her fertility to 
a more advanced age, nature makes the 
attempt, as it were, to render it of an equal 
duration with that of the younger wife. 

Periods of Temporary Sterility. — IDuring 
the child-bearing period of fertile wives the 
average interval between successive births 
after the first is from twenty months to 
two years. If a mother, in good health, 
does not conceive during the space of 



324 A physician's counsels to woman. 



three years, the chances are that she has 
become sterile. 

Conception rarely takes place while the 
mother is nursing her child. This is a 
wise provision of nature against the too 
rapid increase of family. 

Constitutional Causes of Sterility, — In 
many cases barrenness is associated with 
want of vigor, pallor, a condition of languor, 
and a general feebleness. Before the wife 
can give life to another, her own vitality 
must be increased. Attention to the general 
health and a renewal of physical force will 
render her capable of becoming a mother. 
In other instances some disordered condi- 
tion or poisonous element in the blood, 
that vital fluid which animates all the 
animal functions, is the barrier to mater- 
nity. 

Excessive Obesity. — Embonpoint often 
goes hand in hand with sterility. "When 
this undue accumulation of fat is unasso- 
ciated with disease, it may readily be gotten 
rid of by a proper course of diet. Its dis- 
appearance alone may secure the desired 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 325 

end. Any woman may decrease her flesh 
at will and without injury to her health if 
she will partake only of a certain bill of fare. 
And this without lessening the amount of 
food she takes during the day. In order to 
do this she must avoid sugar, molasses and 
sweet dishes, potatoes, fat meat, butter, 
bread, pastry, Indian corn, turnips, beets, 
milk, and beer. Denying herself of these 
articles, she may use 'as freely as she may 
desire of the lean meats, game, eggs (dis- 
carding the yelk), fish, gluten or bran 
bread, peas, cabbages, onions, tomatoes, 
asparagus, egg-plant, apple-sauce, pickles, 
and for drinks, coffee or tea without sugar 
or milk, and plain water. The greater the 
amount of meat eaten, and the less of vege- 
tables, the better. Adverse circumstances 
reduce flesh, and it not unfrequently hap- 
pens that wives who, when rich, were bar- 
ren, become mothers when poor. 

Extreme Leanness. — "We speak now of 
thinness as a constitutional trait, unasso- 
ciated with disease. Such spareness very 
often disappears after marriage, and par- 

28 



326 a physician's counsels to woman. 

ticularly after maternity. When this does 
not occur, and the wife is sterile, it is 
desirable to change the constitutional con- 
dition by increasing her flesh and color. 
This also may be accomplished by a judi- 
cious system of diet. She should avoid 
vinegar, pickles, sour wines or fruits, acid 
vegetables, and highly spiced food. She 
should partake largely of vegetables, par- 
ticularly potatoes, sugar-beets, carrots, 
green peas, turnips, milk or cream, bread 
and butter, molasses, sugar and the sweets 
generally. 

Hippocrates, recognizing the influence of 
corpulence and leanness upon fertility, ad- 
vised that thin women should be. united in 
marriage to stout husbands, and vice versa. 

Oiher Causes of Sterility. — These are 
sometimes very obscure. Why, for in- 
stance, should a woman prolific in her first 
marriage be barren in her second, although 
united to a man who has had children? 
This question we cannot answer, and there- 
fore are in the habit of saying it is due to 



WOMAK IK DISEASE. 327 

incompatibility of temperament, "which term 
is merely an expression of ignorance. 

Excess of passion in the marital relation 
is far less frequently a cause of sterility 
than undue frigidity. 

Counsel to Sterile Wives. 

Barrenness is very often remediable. 
Nor need hope be necessarily abandoned 
because of lapse of time. The records of 
modern medicine contain cases of fertility 
even after thirty years of sterility. 

The most favorable time for conception 
is that immediately before or a few days 
after the monthly sickness. This informa- 
tion conveys the most important advice we 
can give to wives who desire to have chil- 
dren. Almost every physician of experi- 
ence in this department of medicine, can 
point to instances in which counsel to this 
effect has resulted in the gratification of 
hopes long deferred. 

The physiologist Marshall Hall has ad- 
vised the putting of a strong infant to 



328 A physician's counsels to woman. 

the breast as a remedy for barrenness. It 
is well known that the breasts and the 
uterine system are closely linked. Their 
sympathies are so strong that the one is af- 
fected by any impression or excitation of the 
other. For this reason the application of 
the breast pumps, several times a day (with 
due caution not to irritate), immediately 
before the appearance of the monthly sick- 
ness, is not without benefit. Use may also 
be made with advantage, at the same 
periods, of warm fomentation of milk to 
the breasts and to the portion of the spinal 
column directly opposite. Horseback ex- 
ercise sometimes predisposes to pregnancy. 

Of course, when the sterility depends, as 
is often the case, upon some disease, ulcera- 
tion, or displacement of the womb, this 
must be remedied by medical treatment. 

A bed of hemlock boughs, and the odor 
of pine forests, have both long enjoyed 
an established reputation in cases of ste- 
rility. It is a matter of common observa- 
tion that the families of those living among 
pine trees are usually large. Beds of sponge 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 329 

are also recommended as conducive to fruit- 
fulness in wedlock. 

Many cases of sterility have their origin 
in disorders of the monthly periods. The 
proper care of the health, in this regard, we 
have dwelt upon at some length in previous, 
pages, and we would advise that the pre- 
cautions mentioned be adopted by married 
women, particularly during the first months 
of married life, if they value their prospects 
of maternity. 

"When displacement of the womb is the 
cause of sterility, as not unfrequently hap- 
pens, the use of a pessary is followed by 
the happiest results. The pessary should 
be continued to be worn for three or four 
months after conception, in order to guard 
against miscarriage. 

Dr. Tilt, of London, in his "Handbook 
of Uterine Therapeutics," points out two 
not infrequent causes of sterility, and sug- 
gests the remedy. He says : " The physical 
appearance of organs may be perfectly 
satisfactory, but the hidden power that 
works the machinery may be above or below 



330 A physician's counsels to woman. 

that moderate standard, which is the hest 
guarantee of healthy action. That connec- 
tion should be pleasurable is a sign of the 
reproductive organs being healthy; but 
there are barren women in whom the trouble 
appears to lie in too much passion. I 
remembered a case in which it subsided 
after the prolonged use of cold hip-baths, 
cooling injections, and the internal use of 
camphor; soon afterward the patient became 
pregnant. "Whether or not such cases are 
more carefully concealed, they less fre- 
quently come under my observation than 
those of the opposite sort — frigidity. Wo- 
men may be well formed, happily married, 
and without any tangible imperfections of 
the sexual organs, and yet completely indif- 
ferent to connection, which neither gives 
pain nor pleasure, and I have been consulted 
by nine such women who have never con- 
ceived," 



WHITE FLOWING. 

The whitish, yellowish, or greenish dis- 
charge which takes place from the vagina 
under the influence of disease of its lining 
membrane, or of the womb, constitutes the 
affection known to physicians as leucor- 
rhcea, and to patients as " the whites." 

It is important that every woman should 
have correct information in regard to the 
discharges to which she is subject, for 
while some are harmless, others are fraught 
with danger, and indicative of disease re- 
quiring attention. She should know that, 
in a condition of perfect health, the first 
sign of established puberty is often preceded 
by a white discharge. This should not, 
therefore, excite any alarm. It frequently 
happens that each period is preceded and 
followed, for a few days, by a whitish dis- 
charge, which may then be looked upon as 

(331) 



332 A physician's counsels to woman. 

part of the regular monthly flow. A white 
discharge, slight in amount, occasionally, 
also, appears in the time between two 
periods, particularly in those who are not 
strong. If attended by no pain, this dis- 
charge is not probably associated with any 
actual disease, and merely calls for greater 
attention to personal cleanliness. 

The case is different, however, when the 
discharge, in place of being white, and 
unattended by any pain, is of a yellowish 
or greenish tinge, and accompanied by pain 
in the lower part of the back and in the 
thighs. Then energetic treatment is re- 
quired, lest the general health be impaired 
by the drain upon the system. 

"White flowing is an exceedingly common 
trouble ; but few women, it is said, ever 
pass through life without, at some time, 
suffering from it. 

The causes of whites are, as may be sup- 
posed, from the frequency of the complaint, 
very numerous. Whatever prostrates the 
general health, impoverishes the blood, or 
disorders the digestion, may occasion it. 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 333 

Irregularity in the monthly periods will 
quickly bring it on. Displacements and 
ulcerations of the womb are, perhaps, the 
most prominent causes, and generally lie 
back of the more abundant, constant, and 
annoying forms of the affection. 

Besides the suffering and inconvenience 
attaching to this discharge, sterility often 
results from it. Its cure may, therefore, 
remove the reproach of barrenness. 

The treatment consists in ascertaining and 
removing the cause which has excited the 
complaint. If the general health be im- 
paired, tonics and change of scene are of 
service. These we shall more particularly 
specify, in treating of poverty of the blood, 
hereafter. If there be irregularity of the 
monthly periods, those measures of precau- 
tion and cure already mentioned are to be 
resorted to. In all cases, however, the use 
of astringent injections is important, in 
some instances all that is required. "We 
shall, therefore, give a number of useful 
prescriptions for this purpose. 

Before doing so, we wish to give some 
directions as to the proper manner of using 



334 A physician's counsels to woman. 



them. Injections often fail of effect, he- 
cause improperly administered. Compara- 
tively few, indeed, unless instructed, ever 
employ them in a right way. In the first 
place, the syringe should not be a small 
glass or pewter one. Such an instrument, 
holding only two or three ounces of fluid, is 
useless — worse than useless. It is impos- 
sible to inject, at one time, a sufficient 
amount of fluid to do any good, and the 
frequent removal and reintroduction of the 
syringe irritates the parts. The only ef- 
fectual instrument is the rubber hand-ball 
syringe, by means of which a continuous 
stream can be injected at any given time. 
As it is important that the upper part of 
the canal, and the lower surface of the 
womb, should be reached by the injected 
fluid, the reclining posture, on a hard sofa, 
with the edge of the basin under the seat, 
is the best position in which to use the 
syringe; and the liquid ought to be pumped 
up for at least five minutes. In regard to 
the temperature of the injection, no fixed 
rule can be given. Some patients bear 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 335 

cold injections badly. In long-standing 
cases, a cold fluid is preferable ; in a recent, 
painful case, a warm solution is more 
soothing. 

The following injections are arranged in 
the order of their strength: — 

Equal parts of warm water and milk make a bland, 
cleausing solution, to be used several times a 
day. 

Another soothing injection, when there 
is much pain, is a mixture of glycerine and 
water, in the proportion of two or three 
tablespoonfuls of glycerine to the pint of 
water. 

Linseed tea is also useful, either alone or 
with the addition of alum or lead. It is 
made as follows: — 

Take of— 

Slightly bruised linseed . J ounce, 

Water 3 pints. 

Gently boil for ten minutes, and carefully strain, so 
as to remove any fragments of the seeds which 
might otherwise obstruct the pipe of the syringe. 

To this, or either of the preceding in- 
jections, laudanum may be added, in the 



I 



336 A physician's counsels to woman. 

proportion of a teaspoonful to each pint of 
the fluid. 

The following are excellent cooling injec- 
tions : — 

•Take of— 

Borax . . 1 drachm, 

Cool water i ..... 1 pint. 
Mix. 

Or, substitute for the borax the same 
quantity of chlorate of potash, or of acetate 
of lead. "When the parts are irritable, and 
the discharge acrid, add to each of these 
solutions before use, a teaspoonful of lau- 
danum, and a tablespoonful of glycerine. 

Astringent injections should be as cold 
as the patient can well bear. The follow- 
ing are approved solutions : — 

Take of— 

Oak bark 1 ounce, 

Water .2 pints. 

Boil down to one pint, strain, and cool. 

Ordinary green tea, as prepared for the 
table, when cold, makes an excellent injec- 
tion. 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 337 

Take of— 

Tannin 30 to 60 grains, 

Cold water ...... 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Or, 

Take of— 

Alum 1 drachm, 

Sulphate of zinc . . t .10 grains, 
Cold water ..... 1 pint. 

Mix. 

Alum alone, in the proportion of about 
a teaspoonful of the powder to the pint of 
water, makes a good solution for injection. 

Wlien the discharge is offensive, a table- 
spoonful of the solution of chlorinated soda 
(Labarraque's solution) may be added to 
the injection employed, or may be used 
alone as follows : — 

Take of— 

Solution of chlorinated soda 

(Labarraque's solution) . 1 fluidounce, 

Water 1 pint. 

Mix. 

An equally good deodorizing mixture is 
made of permanganate of potash: — 

29 



338 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Take of— 

Permanganate of potash . 1 drachm, 
Water . . - 1 pint. 

To these injections, as to the others 
mentioned, a teaspoonful of laudanum, and 
a tablespoonful of glycerine, are to be added 
if they cause any smarting. 

The following is also a useful injection, 
when there is fetor : — 

Take of— 

Creosote 20 drops, 

Yelk of egg . 1 

Water 8 ounces. 

Mix. 
Add half of this to a pint of water. 

The soothing injections may be used as 
often as three times a day; the cooling 
injections, twice a day; the alum injections 
not more than once a day, unless they are 
employed to check the loss of blood, when 
they may be repeated several times during 
the twenty-four hours. 

As a rule, all injections should be dis- 
continued during the monthly periods, un- 
less otherwise specially directed by the 
physician. 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 339 

Take of— 

Lead water .... 6 fluidounces. 
Direct one large tablespoonful to be mixed with a 
pint of water, to form an injection. Use twice a 
day. 

Take of— 

Extract of Hematoxylin (log- 
wood) 1 ounce, 

Alum 2 drachms, 

"Water . 1 pint. 

Mix. 

A useful injection, when there is an 
offensive discharge. Care should be taken 
in using it, for it will stain all linen with 
which it comes in contact. 



POYEETT OF THE BLOOD. 



This condition of the blood is known to 
physicians under the technical term of 
ancemia. The red particles in the circu- 
lating fluid are diminished in number, and 
paleness of the surface results. This im- 
poverishment of the blood may arise from 
want of nourishment, owing to improper 
food or disorder of the digestive apparatus; 
from some drain upon the system, owing to 
excessive loss at the monthly periods or 
white flowing ; or from some poison in the . 
blood. "Whatever be the cause, the trouble 
should not be treated as a trifling one. 

Unfortunately it has become so fashion- 
able to have a pale face, that it is no longer 
looked upon as an indication of ill-health 
in woman. Hence it happens that both 
mothers and daughters consider pallor of 
the complexion as natural to them ; or if 
(340) 



WOMAN" IN DISEASE. 341 

denotiye of impaired vitality, that all at- 
tempts to improve in strength and flesh are 
useless. They qnietly and indolently en- 
dure infirmities which they consider as 
indissolubly wedded to their constitution. 
The young and beautiful passively suffer 
themselves to become quickly old, sad, and 
weak. The way is thus prepared for the 
invasion of consumption and cancerous 
affections. This decline in health and the 
irremediable results therefrom might all 
be prevented by timely care and a prompt 
use of tonics, especially those containing 
iron. It has been aptly said that the 
fabled fountain of youth must have been 
an iron spring, for such alone is able to 
restore the charms aiid freshness of youth 
to women who have fallen into premature 
old age. 

The causes of poverty of the blood are 
numerous. Over-exertion of mind or body, 
hardship, grief, disappointment, and pain 
are among the most frequent agencies at 
work in bringing about a watery condition 
of the blood. Too profuse periods, coh- 

29* 



342 A physician's COUNSELS TO "WOMAN, 



tinued discharges and over-nursing are 
also common causes of this affection. The 
greater frequency of this complaint in large 
towns and cities, and among the higher 
classes of society, shows that it is often pro- 
duced by want of attention to the physical 
development of young girls and women, by 
deprivation of fresh air, pure food, and out- 
door exercise. 

The symptoms are easily recognized. 
Failure of strength is a prominent one. 
This general debility is associated with a 
pale, waxen skin, blanched lips and tongue, 
a blue tinge of the " whites" of the eyes, a 
quick, feeble pulse, shortness of breath on 
the least exertion, loss of appetite and in- 
crease of thirst, low spirits, capricious, irri- 
table temper, headache, disturbed sleep, and 
cold extremities. A sense of fainting, hur- 
ried breathing, and palpitation of the heart, 
result from any exertion. These symptoms 
are nearly all marked when the complaint 
is well established. The earliest noticeable 
are the loss of strength and of color. 
These should receive prompt attention. If 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 343 

combated at the outset, the impoverish- 
ment of the blood is usually checked with- 
out difficulty. "We have alluded to the 
dangers encountered by a neglect of early 
remedial measures. 

There is no absolute or necessary con- 
nection between poverty of the blood and 
nervousness, as cause and effect, as has 
been well pointed out by Prof. Hodge. 
The two may go hand in hand, but are not 
always associated. "All females are com- 
paratively nervous, even with excellent 
organic actions, rich blood, free capillary 
circulation, rosy complexion, and an abun- 
dance of animal heat continually generated. 
Their temperament is nervous. In some 
cases, by no means few in number, this is 
wonderfully tru£ Every one, of any ex- 
perience, must have known women, who 
were of the most robust appearance, with 
excellent appetite and digestion, an abun- 
dant supply of blood of the purest character, 
with all their functions in an admirable 
condition, being strong and feeling strong, 
and yet who were excessively nervous, ex- 



344 A physician's counsels to woman. 



citable, and irritable. The least cause, 
mental or physical, will disturb their sen- 
sations or perceptions, and induce the worst 
forms of hysteria. Such women look well, 
but feel supremely wretched. Few, some- 
times not even their physician, sympathize 
with them. They are regarded as imagina- 
tive or even as deceitful beings. The re- 
verse of the picture is often equally true, 
poverty of the blood existing to a very 
great degree with few or no special mani- 
festations of nervous irritability. In men, 
especially, this is often the case, as in many 
cases of exhaustion from dyspepsia, diar- 
rhoea, hemorrhages, and chronic diseases. 
In women this is, of course, not so fre- 
quent, owing to their natural temperament; 
yet, often, in the delicate, pallid, emaciated 
woman, you will discover few symptoms of 
nervous irritation, and you will hear the 
declaration, "Doctor, I have never been 
nervous." 

Although nervous irritability is, in many 
cases conjoined with the poverty of the 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 345 

circulating fluid, it is not therefore to be 
looked upon as a constant accompaniment. 

The treatment of this complaint is usually 
very satisfactory, if early instituted. If 
the cause of the trouble can be discovered 
and readily removed, as is generally the 
case, the blood is soon enriched with the 
aid of preparations of iron and other tonics. 
The avoidance of all excesses, change of 
air, due repose of mind and body, and a 
nutritious, easily digested diet, seldom fail 
to complete the cure. 

Good, plain, nourishing food is to be 
taken as freely as it can be digested. The 
patient may begin with milk and eggs and 
beef-tea, and advance as rapidly as possible 
to fish, poultry, and mutton. To enable 
her, however, to take and digest this food, 
tonics, conjoined sometimes with slightly 
laxative medicine, are needed. Of all the 
tonics, in this complaint, iron is the best. 
It is, indeed, imperatively called for. It 
may, however, be advantageously combined 
with vegetable bitters. "We shall give a 
number of recipes, containing various pre- 



346 a physician's counsels to woman. 

parations of iron, united with different 
vegetable tonics. All of these prescriptions 
are valuable and safe. We are sure a know- 
ledge of them cannot but be useful and 
fraught with no danger. Here, as else- 
where in this "book, we have avoided all 
hurtful combinations, and recommended 
only those which can be safely employed in 
family practice. 

The following tonic is an excellent one, 
particularly when the poverty of the blood 
has been induced by excessive loss of blood 
at the monthly periods : — 

Take of— 

Pyrophosphate of iron . 1J drachm, 
Tincture of colomba . . \ fluidounce, 

"Water 2j fluidounces. 

Mix. 
Take two teaspoonfuls, before each meal, in water. 
Keep quiet and avoid stimulating food and drinks 
while menstruating. 

If the bowels be constipated, take at the 
game time the following : — 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 347 

Take of— 

Sulphate of magnesia . . 2 ounces, 
Cream of tartar .... 1 ounce, 

Water 2 pints. 

Mix. 
To be taken in wineglassful doses sufficiently often to 
move the bowels once a day. 

Another excellent preparation is the 
combination of iron with cinchona, as fol 
lows : — 

Take of— 

Tincture of the chloride of 

iron 3 drachms, 

Sulphate of cinchona . . 15 grains, 

Simple syrup 1 fluidounce, 

Water 2 fluidounces. 

Mix. 
A teaspoonful, in a wineglassful of water,, is to be 
drawn through a glass tube three times a day before 
meals. 

As iron is the agent mainly to be trusted 
to in the treatment of impoverished blood, 
we will mention a number of other reliable 
forms and combinations of this metal. 

Reduced iron, or iron in a state of very 
minute particles, is a valuable agent. 



318 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Take of— 

Reduced iron J drachm, 

Sugar 1 drachm. 

Mix, and divide into twelve powders. 
One powder is to be taken, in S3 T rup or molasses, three 
times a day. 

Or, the reduced iron may be combined 
with quinine and gentian, as follows : — 

Take of— 

Reduced iron J drachm, 

Sulphate of quinine . .12 grains, 
Extract of gentian . . .10 grains. 

Mix, and divide into twelve pills. 
One to be taken three times a day. 

The sulphate of iron is also an excellent 
preparation. It may be given alone, made 
up into pills, one or two grains in each pill, 
three times a day; or it may be united 
with quinine, as follows : — 

Take of— 

Sulphate of iron ... 24 grains, 
Sulphate of quinine . .12 grains, 

Syrup a sufficient quantity 

to make a pilular mass. Divide into twelve 
pills. 
One of these pills is to be taken three times a day. 



WOMAK LIST DISEASE. 349 

"When the impoverished blood results 
from too severe mental occupation, or dis- 
tress, then the phosphate of iron, or the 
phosphate of zinc, will do much good. "We 
give a prescription for each. 

Take of— 

Phosphate of iron ... 2 scruples, 
Pulverized myrrh ... J drachm, 
White sugar J drachm. 

Mix, and divide into twelve powders. 
One is to be taken three times a day. 

Take of— 

Phosphate of zinc ... 2 scruples, 
Dilute phosphoric acid . 1J fluidrachm, 
Compound tincture of 

cinchonia . . . . 1J fluidounce, 

Peppermint water ... 6 fluidounces. 
Mix. 
Jake a tablespoonful, in a wineglassful of water, three 
times a day. 

Cod-liver oil * may be taken with advan- 
tage at the same time with either of the 
foregoing prescriptions. This treatment, 
together with rest, good diet, fatty articles 
of food, and, if possible, a change of scene, 
will be usually all that is required. 

30 



350 A physician's counsels to woman. 

"When there is indigestion, pepsin is 
wonderfully effective in restoring digestive 
power, wanting which it is impossible to 
introduce into the blood the enriching ma- 
terial it so much needs. It is of no nse to 
administer tonics and nutritious food, if the 
stomach be unable to digest them. This 
inability of the stomach to perform its work 
is frequently met with when the poverty of 
the blood is calling most imperatively for 
restoratives. The value of pepsin in these 
cases is readily explained. 

The food is subjected in the stomach to 
the action of the gastric juice. This gastric 
juice consists of water, acids, and a peculiar 
substance of the nature of a ferment, known 
under the name of pepsin. "When the 
gastric juice, for any reason, is not secreted 
in sufficient quantity, artificial pepsin may 
be introduced into the stomach with great 
advantage. The pepsin may be taken 
either in the form of a powder or in that of 
a wine. If the powder be used, fifteen 
grains is the proper dose, taken at the 
commencement of the meal, between two 



WOMAN KST DISEASE. 351 

slices of bread, or in a little lukewarm soup. 
The wine of pepsin is employed in tea- 
spoonful doses, before each meal. 

The only curative means, other than 
those we have just given, to be borne in 
mind, are exercise in the open air, not too 
prolonged, and cold bathing, especially in 
sea-water. 

Under the influence of these agencies, 
the blood will gradually lose its watery 
character, and refind the red particles of 
which it has been deprived. But as these 
red particles are not quickly reformed in 
proper numbers, time is an important ele- 
ment in the treatment, and the patient must 
patiently persevere in the remedies for many 
weeks. 



NEURALGIC PAINS. 

Under this head we design to call 
attention to some of the painful affections 
to which women alone are subject. "We 
refer to rheumatic and neuralgic inflamma- 
tions of the womb and ovaries. 

The sufferers from neuralgia of the womb 
and of the ovaries are ordinarily delicate 
women, with a constitution naturally feeble, 
or one that has been impaired by a series 
of imprudent acts. Attention to the general 
health is required, therefore, in most cases, 
as we shall presently point out. Neuralgia 
of these parts occurs, not unfrequently, in 
young girls directly after the age of puberty, 
associated with painful periods. The dis- 
ease is most frequent, however, among 
wives and mothers. It sometimes first 
makes its appearance a short time after 
childbirth. 

(352) 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 353 

The symptoms are pain and soreness. 
The pain may be of a sharp, shooting 
character, or dull and aching. It is situated 
in the lower part of the abdomen, the groin, 
the back, and the inner surface of the 
thighs. It is rendered much worse by ex- 
posure to cold damp weather, by fatigue, 
by mental emotion, and by disorders of the 
monthly periods. 

Patients, at all liable to this trouble, 
should most sedulously seek to improve 
and preserve their general health. "Warm 
clothing is of the utmost importance. In 
summer, cotton drawers are always to be 
worn, and during the winter flannel ones. 
The diet claims particular attention. It 
should be nourishing, animal food being 
taken at least once a day. Cold bathing is 
usually dangerous and injurious ; warm 
hip-baths are beneficial, and may be repeated 
several times a week. 

During pregnancy and nursing, women 

are peculiarly liable to rheumatism and 

neuralgia of the womb, on account of the 

susceptibility of the skin. During these 
80* 



354 A physician's counsels to woman. 

periods the perspiration is readily checked, 
which may give rise to serious trouble. 
Extra precautions ought, therefore, to be 
taken against exposure to draughts, changes 
of clothing, and atmospheric vicissitudes. 

In these cases, in which there are also 
floating neuralgic pains throughout the 
body, and in which the strength and appe- 
tite are impaired, the hitter wine of iron is 
an excellent remedy. The following pre- 
scription is a good one. 



Take of— 

Bitter wine of iron 
Tincture of nux vomica 

Mix. 



4 fluidonnces, 
2 fluidrachms. 



Take a dessertspoonful (that is, two teaspoonfuls) in 
a wineglassful of water, just after each meal. 



The following is an excellent preparation. 
It is often of great benefit in those cases 
in which no other sedative and tonic can be 
taken : — 



WOMAN IK DISEASE. 355 

Take of— 

Extract of henbane 

Sulphate of quinine . each 20 grains. 
Mix. 

Divide into twenty pills. 
One is to be taken every night. 

The following ointment affords much 
relief, when rubbed into the skin over 
the painful parts of the, abdomen or 
back: — 

Take of— 

Belladonna liniment . . 2 drachms, 
Glycerine ointment ... 1 ounce. 

Mix. 

In cases of neuralgia of the ovaries, the 
prescription given below exerts an almost 
magical influence in some cases : — 

Take of^- 

Muriate of ammonia . . 2 drachms, 
Tincture of aconite leaf . 2 fluidrachms, 
Syrup of orange-peel . . 8 fluidounces. 

Mix. 

The dose is a teaspoonful three times a day. 

In many instances in which ordinary 



356 A physician's counsels to woman. 



anodynes have been employed without bene- 
fit, the pains will be relieved by the time 
the above prescription is finished in the 
doses directed. 



HEADACHES. 

Headaches are more common among 
women than men, and those which are 
peculiar to the female sex are quite numer- 
ous. They are, to a great extent, associated 
with her physiological destiny and duties 
as maid, wife, and matron. They add to 
her sufferings in most of the diseases which 
we have considered. The amount of misery 
they occasion is much underrated. They 
are too frequently classed among the minor 
evils of life, and looked upon as unavoida- 
ble trials to be patiently borne. It is their 
cruel influence which is active in folding 
the furrows and ruling the wrinkles on the 
faces of many suffering women. How 
often, also, upon the smooth, fair brow of 
the young girl may be noted that worn 
look of unrest which tells, to the experi- 
enced observer, of a headache. In many 

(357) 



358 A physician's counsels to woman. 

of these cases a simple remedy, properly 
employed, will afford effectual and lasting 
relief. May we not, therefore, hope to do 
some good by recording here, in plain 
though brief language, the principal varieties 
of headache, the symptoms by which they 
may be recognized, the causes to which 
they are due, the preventive measures 
which may avert them, and the treatment 
which may alleviate or cure them ? 

A headache is not always an unmixed 
evil. It is often, especially during preg- 
nancy and nursing, a caution signal — a 
warning sign, kindly made by nature, to 
call attention to a threatening disease, while 
it is yet time to prevent its establishment. 
Headaches also occur during the course of 
many general diseases, such as fevers. But 
besides these forms of headaches, which 
are symptoms of disease, there are other 
kinds in which the pain in the head is 
the most prominent, or the only trouble. 
Among these we will first mention 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 359 

Sick-Headache. 

This compound name appropriately ex- 
presses the two sensations — constant sick- 
ness at the stomach, and pain in the head 
— experienced during the attack. Com- 
mencing in childhood or youth, it often 
clings persistently to the unhappy patient 
throughout life. "Everything has changed 
with me," remarked one who had so suf- 
fered for twenty years, "except my head- 
aches." Such sufferers, wearied with their 
ineffectual efforts to relieve themselves of 
their heavy burden, abandon all hopes of 
freeing themselves, and find their only 
remedy in patience. Such apathy cannot 
but be regretted, for, in many of these 
cases, the cause may be finally discovered, 
or an effectual remedy at last secured. 

A sick-headache generally commences in 
the morning on waking from a deep sleep, 
especially in hot weather, or after sleeping 
in a close room, or if some irregularity of 
diet has been committed on the previous 
day. The irritation caused by food which 



360 A physician's counsels to woman. 

disagrees, is probably produced after the 
food has passed the stomach, and during 
its presence in the intestines. The time 
usually taken for a meal to pass through 
the stomach is from two to five hours; 
whereas, after leaving that organ, the food, 
which is reduced to the consistence of 
gruel, has to traverse about twenty-six feet 
of intestine. Hence the ill effects are often 
manifest only the day after an indiscreet 
indulgence in the pleasures of the table. 

There is, at first, a dull and distressingly 
oppressive sensation in the head, merging 
into a severe and heavy (not throbbing) 
pain in the temples, usually more severe on 
the left side, and accompanied by 'a tender- 
ness and sense of fulness in the correspond- 
ing eye, or extending across the forehead. 
Sometimes it fixes itself over the inner 
corner of the eyebrow, and in these cases 
light is especially oppressive. There is a 
clammy and unpleasant taste in the mouth, 
the breath is offensive, and the tongue 
covered with a yellowish-white fur. The 
sufferer usually desires to be alone, and in 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 361 

the dark. The body is chill, and a sensa- 
tion is often experienced as of a stream of 
water trickling down the back. The hands 
and feet are cold and moist, and the pulse 
feeble. 

Accompanying these symptoms, there is 
a depressing sense of sickness at the 
stomach, with entire loss of appetite. The 
nausea is increased by the erect posture, 
and by moving about. There is usually 
great flatulence, for the irritating, ill-di- 
gested food actually undergoes a species of 
decomposition. Then — after several in- 
effectual attacks of retching, which termi- 
nate only with shuddering at the nauseous 
taste in the mouth — vomiting at length 
ensues. The stomach is relieved of what- 
ever food it contains, if any has been taken 
during the day, in an undigested state ; but 
more frequently only a thin glairy fluid of 
an acrid, sour taste is ejected. During the 
concussion of the system, produced by 
vomiting, there is considerable pressure 
exercised on the bowels by the muscles of 
the abdomen. The badly digested mass is 

31 



362 A physician's counsels to woman. 

dislodged from the situation where it is 
producing irritation, and passes on its 
appointed course. The pain in the head, 
though increased during the act of vomit- 
ing, subsequently becomes relieved. There 
remain merely a squeamishness of -the 
stomach and a general uneasiness and 
languor which induce a desire for repose. 
After a short sleep, the patient may awake 
perfectly well, or only a little debilitated, 
according to the previous condition of the 
general health. 

In other cases the vomiting continues, 
and adds still further to the distress. The 
acid fluid at first ejected gives place to bile 
— yellow, nauseous, and bitter; and with 
the intense depression that always accom- 
panies its presence in the stomach. This 
urgent sickness, if allowed to continue 
unchecked, may go on for two or three 
hours, until, worn out with vehement ex- 
ertion, the sufferer falls asleep and wakes 
to comparative ease. 

Sometimes, however, the vomiting does 
not supervene at all. The pain in the head 



"WOMAN IK DISEASE. 363 

then usually becomes worse as the day 
advances, until lost in sleep at night. It 
may even continue throughout a second 
day, or on into a third. 

The causes of sick-headache are found 
principally in the digestive organs. Seden- 
tary habits, especially when combined with 
anxiety of mind and insufficient exercise, 
seldom fail to weaken the powers of diges- 
tion. These habits are often associated 
with irregularity in diet; too long an 
interval being allowed to elapse between 
the meals, or an excessive quantity of food 
being taken to subdue the sensation of 
hunger. The golden rule, that "you should 
eat when you are hungry, but not as long 
as you are hungry," is neglected. 

It is seldom that an attack of sick-head- 
ache cannot be traced to some previous 
excess at the table. Some persons can 
never take particular articles of diet with- 
out suffering from a headache. 

The treatment of sick-headache requires, 
on the part of the sufferer, a careful self- 
examination into the peculiarities of her 



364 A physician's counsels to woman. 



individual case. The removal of the im- 
mediate cause of the pain should not be so 
much an object as the permanent relief of 
the unhealthy condition of the stomach. 
"Without the accomplishment of this, by 
steady perseverance and self-denial, no 
power can avert the recurrence of the 
trouble on any irregularity of diet. 

"When the headache comes on very shortly 
after, a meal, especially where it can be 
traced directly to one or more indigestible 
articles of food, copious draughts of warm 
water or warm chamomile tea, to induce 
vomiting, will usually remove the offending 
food and the pain together. Any continu- 
ance of the headache may be relieved by an 
hour's quiet, and the application to the 
forehead of a thin cloth damped with 
cologne water, with essence of verbena, or 
with simple spirit and water. As a rule, 
the use of emetic drugs, such as ipecacuanha, 
should be avoided. If often repeated, they 
lower the tone of the stomach and render 
another attack more probable. 

"Where the pain ensues some hours after 



WOMAK IN" DISEASE. 3G5 

taking food, a warm draught, with rhubarb 
and magnesia, is generally beneficial. 

Take of— 

Powdered rhubarb, 

Carbonate of magnesia, each 40 grains, 

Syrup of ginger -J fluidounce, 

Peppermint water .... 1^- fluidounce. 
Mix. 
Add a tablespoonful to half a wineglassful of warm 
water, and take as one draught. 

The use of stimulants, so frequently 
indulged In in cases of sick-headache, 
proves eventually injurious. This is espe- 
cially the case where the headache is of 
habitual occurrence. The momentary relief 
they afford is followed by an increase in 
the intensity and frequency of future 
attacks. 

The headache that comes on some hours 
after a meal, may often be warded off by 
taking a few grains of rhubarb and aloes, 
as a dinner pill. For this purpose the 
following is an excellent combination: — 



3l« 



366 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Take of— 

Powdered rhubarb . . .18 grains, 
Powdered capsicum ... 5 grains, 
Dried carbonate of soda . 5 grains, 
Powdered aloes, 

Castile soap, . . each 10 grains. 
Mix. 

Divide into twelve pills. 
One to be taken an hour before each meal. 

But it must be remembered that so long 
as the use of a dinner pill is necessary, 
there is an unhealthy state of the stomach, 
to which the dose only serves as a tempo- 
rary palliative, and which requires other 
and further treatment to do away with the 
need of coaxing it to good behavior in this 
manner. 

The first and most essential requisite 
towards permanent relief of sick-headache 
is a determination on the part of the 
patient to strictly regulate the diet; to 
carefully attend to the action of the bowels; 
and to take more exercise and air. The 
effects of various articles of food should be 
noticed, and whatever manifestly disagrees 
forthwith shunned. More than six hours 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 367 

(exclusive of sleep) ought never to pass 
without the taking of food. The best diet 
is the plainest, and those subject to dys- 
pepsia should deny themselves rich soups 
and broths, and avoid over-diluting the 
contents of the stomach by fluids of .any 
description. The quantity of food taken at 
a meal should be especially restricted ; for 
persons of delicate digestions will often 
complain of the ill effects of some particu- 
lar article of diet, when their sufferings are, 
in reality, owing to the quantity of all, 
rather than to the disagreement of any one 
part. The how much, must be determined 
by every woman for herself. She is happy 
who is able to do this with accuracy, and 
to carry out the dictates of her judgment. 

Where, on the other hand, the appetite 
is deficient, a little ice, or a draught of ice- 
cold water, taken half an hour before 
dinner, usually proves very serviceable. 
Its efficacy depends on the reaction that 
follows the first effect of the cold on the 
stomach. In this way, the keen appetite 
often excited by taking a few raw oysters 
is probably produced. 



368 a physician's counsels to woman. 

The strict observance of a low or meagre 
diet is seldom advisable and often hurtful ; 
though great discrimination is required in 
the food that is chosen. The following 
plan of daily diet, if rigidly continued for 
a while, very seldom fails to prove bene- 
ficial, where the precautions in reference to 
medicines and exercise are, at the same 
time, observed: — 

For breakfast, a cup of coffee with a biscuit or dry- 
toast, a fresh egg lightly boiled, or a small portion of 
cold fowl or game. For dinner, a tender beefsteak 
dressed on a gridiron, care being taken that each 
mouthful be properly masticated ; no vegetables, or 
only a well-cooked potato; a light pudding, with 
brown bread. Mutton or poultry, with a little fish 
(plainly boiled), may be substituted on alternate 
days. For supper, some dry toast and a little sago, 
or carrageen-moss jelly, may be taken. 

It is important to avoid heavy and late 
suppers. The poet well says : — 

" But would you sweetly waste the blank of night 
In deep oblivion; or, on fancy's wings 
Yisit the paradise of happy dreams, 
And waken cheerful as the lively morn ; 
Oppress not nature sinking down to rest 
With feasts too late, too solid, or too full." 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 369 

The use of the flesh-brush, or a coarse 
hair-glove, over the surface of the body, 
especially in the region of the stomach, is 
often very beneficial. Instead of either, a 
salt-towel may be employed. This is made 
by immersing a towel in a basin of salt 
water, in the evening, and throwing it over 
the back of a chair to dry during the night. 
In the morning, take one end in each hand 
and draw the roughened towel briskly to and 
fro over the stomach, until the skin is in a 
glow. Repeat this friction every morning. 
Exercise, either walking or, if possible, on 
horseback, should never be omitted a single 
day that the weather will permit it ; before 
dinner being the best time to choose. The 
regular action of the bowels should be 
carefully attended to, and when the diet 
and exercise prove insufficient, an occa- 
sional laxative should be taken. In cases 
of constipation, the following pill is strongly 
recommended by Prof. "Van Buren, of New 
York, who terms it the " Pil Salutis"— the 
"Pill of Health." 



370 A physician's counsels to woman. 



Take of— 




Extract of aloes . . 


. J- drachm, 


Extract of nux vomica 


6 grains, 


Extract of hj^oscyamus 


20 grains, 


Powdered ipecacuanha 


. 1 grain. 


Mix. 




Divide into twenty pills. 





Take one each night at bedtime. 



Change of air and scene is always 
attended with advantage in cases of sick- 
headache. 



Nervous Headache. 

The ordinary nervous headache is more 
frequent in women, and is especially com- 
mon in the female sex between the ages of 
fifteen and forty. This is owing to the 
fact that the female nervous susceptibility 
is greater than the male. It is of greater 
frequency in large towns and cities than in 
country neighborhoods, which can only be 
attributed to the difference in habits, and 
in the air that is breathed. It is also of 
greater frequency among women of the 
upper and middle classes, which may 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 371 

doubtless be attributed to the mode of 
education and of life to which they are 
subject. The body is too generally cramped, 
in defiance of its natural tendencies, to 
produce that artificial shape known as a 
"good figure." The mind is trained, in 
despite of its natural bias, to acquire a 
knowledge of what are considered accom- 
plishments, whether there be any natural 
aptitude or not for such studies. The 
feelings are more excited than the under- 
standing. Exercise of the body is re- 
stricted. The bright sunshine and the 
bracing breeze are shunned, for they pro- 
duce freckles and roughen the cheek — 
signs, it is true, of the Beauty of Health, 
but that unfortunately is not our standard 
of beauty. 

This particular form of headache — the 
nervous — is most apt to occur in ' women 
possessing high susceptibility, both mental 
and physical ; whose spirits are variable, 
easily elevated, and easily depressed ; whose 
tempers are fickle and readily excited. 

Nervous headaches are usually sudden, 



372 A physician's counsels to woman. 

both in attack and termination. The pain 
is ordinarily acute and darting, aggravated 
by sound or light, with a sensation as if 
the temples were being pressed together. 
Some women become peevish and irritable 
during the attack ; others are dull, languid, 
and almost constantly yawning. There is 
sometimes a sense of sinking, with a dread 
of falling, great despondency, and a rest- 
lessness which renders the patient incapable 
of continuous attention, and of physical or 
mental exertion. The pulse is small and 
feeble, its frequency varying with the least 
excitement ; whilst palpitation of the heart 
ensues on the slightest exertion. Coldness 
of the hands and feet is constantly com- 
plained of. There is often a short, dry, 
jerking cough, which occurs on the least 
excitement, or sudden change of tempera- 
ture. The bowels are usually costive; the 
sight is t dim; and, where the sufferer has 
long been subject to these headaches, the 
eyes appear sunken and the countenance 
wan and careworn. The headache comes 
on most frequently in the morning, lasts 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 373 

throughout the day, and abates in the 
evening. 

It not unfrequently happens that any 
excitement or shock, which suddenly arouses 
the system, relieves the nervous pain. 
Hence, in olden times, it is said a head- 
ache of this kind was cured by setting the 
patient's head on fire. In our day most 
patients would object to such a heroic 
remedy. In some instances, women are 
free from nervous headache during every 
pregnancy, though constantly suffering from 
it at other times. 

The nervous headache, which is of such 
frequent occurrence in girls and women of 
hysterical tendencies, although presenting 
certain of the foregoing symptoms, accord- 
ing to its greater or less severity and 
duration, has, in addition, especially well- 
marked peculiarities of its own. It usually 
cpmes on suddenly, its commencement 
being accompanied by cramp-like pain in 
the abdomen, mounting thus to the throat 
(where the sensation resembles that of a 

32 



374 A physician's counsels to woman. 

ball lodged there), and finally reaching the 
head. 

"With the abdominal pain, in these cases, 
there is usually excessive flatulence, amount- 
ing to a sense of distension, this being due 
to impaired or deficient powers of digestion. 
And flatulence, whenever it occurs, is 
injurious. It distends the coats of the 
stomach and bowels, enfeebling their en- 
ergy, whilst it diminishes their power of 
action. If the flatulence be followed by 
eructation, immediate though only tempo- 
rary relief is experienced. This often forms 
the excuse for the use, and still more 
frequent abuse, of that lady-like form of 
dram-drinking which consists in dissolving 
in the mouth a lump of sugar moistened 
with a spirituous stimulant, as cologne 
water; a medical stimulant, as sal volatile; 
or a combination of both, as spirits of 
lavender. The purpose with which these 
are taken (to communicate an unnatural 
exaltation to the spirits, and to dispel the 
uneasy sensations in the stomach) is pre- 
cisely that which influences the drunkard 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 375 

to swallow his stimulant — whiskey or 
brandy. 

" Observe what ills to nervous females flow, 
When the heart flutters and the pulse is low, 
If once induced these cordial cups to try, 
All feel the ease, and few the danger fly; 
For while obtained, of drams they have all the force, 
And when denied, then drams are the resource." 

The result is the same whichever be 
taken — miserable subsequent depression, 
and aggravation of all the causes of suffer- 
ing. 

The pain in the head, where it is essen- 
tially dependent on that eccentricity of the 
nerves known as "hysteria" usually pre- 
sents certain characters. It is confined to 
one small space, or to a single spot, fre- 
quently over one eyebrow. It is often 
likened to the sensation of a wedge or 
nail driven into the skull, or pressing on 
the brain, accompanied at times by darting 
pains. 

The headaches that accompany excessive 
debility r , 'from any exhausting drain on the 
system, as over-nursing, prolonged diarrhoea, 



376 a physician's counsels to woman. 

etc., are nearly allied to nervous headaches, 
and are, also, most frequent in the female 
sex. The cheeks are blanched, and the 
lips pale; there is a dark halo around the 
sunken eye, the sight is impaired, the legs 
swell if allowed to hang down, and the 
whole frame is greatly wasted and debili- 
tated. The pain is generally referred to 
the top of the head, and is frequently 
described as resembling a " ticking" or the 
beating of a small hammer on the skull. 

The direct causes that produce these 
various forms of nervous headache are very 
numerous. They need only be very trifling 
when the predisposition is strong ; a loud 
noise, a vivid light, or a disagreeable smell, 
will suffice. Impurity of the air breathed, 
whether resulting from freshly-painted 
rooms, from open drains, from the presence 
of flowers in the sleeping apartment, or the 
collection of a large number of persons, in 
a close room, or an ill-ventilated theatre, 
especially where gas is burning, are com- 
mon causes of nervous headaches. It need 
hardly be remarked that the influence of 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 377 

mental suffering is very great. Grief for 
the loss of a beloved object; disappointed 
hope ; mental strain beyond the powers of 
the intellect; all these give rise to head- 
aches of the most varied characters ; the 
true cause being often a secret locked in 
the sufferer's breast. 

Hysterical headaches are generally pro- 
duced in persons of hysterical habit, by 
some unfitting excitement or injudicious 
exposure. The attack may often be traced 
to over-exertion, as in dancing, followed by 
exposure to cold. 

Those pitiable headaches, the predisposition 
to ivhich is produced by any long -continued 
drain on the system, are frequently brought 
on by the influence of any of the exciting 
causes that give rise to other nervous 
headache. In these cases, it is not that 
the nervous system is unduly excited or 
irritated, but that the rest of the body no 
longer retains a proportionate force or 
development. "With returning strength, 
as the balance between the nervous system 
and the rest of the body becomes re-estab- 

82* 



378 A physician's counsels to woman. 

lished, the excessive excitability diminishes, 
and the nervous headache ceases. 

The Treatment of Nervous Headaches. — 
The first object is to subdue the intensity 
of the pain. This, however, is really a 
minor consideration. The principal aim 
should be to afford permanent relief by di- 
recting the attention unswervingly to the 
cause from which the trouble arises. "When 
the cause is mechanical or organic, as when 
due to a decayed tooth, etc., the aid of the 
dentist or surgeon is required. 

The combination of 'hyoscyamus with 
camphor, generally affords great relief to 
the intensity of the pain in common nervous 
headache : — 

Take of— 

Extract of hyoscyamus, 

Powdered camphor, . each 20 grains. 
Mix. 

Divide into sixteen pills. 
One or two to be taken when the pain is very severe. 

The following is also a useful preparation 
for the same purpose : — 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 379 

Take of— 

Tincture of hyoscyamus, 
Compound tincture of car- 
damoms, .... each -J fluidounce, 

Chloroform 1 fluidrachm, 

Oil of lemon 15 drops, 

Powdered tragacanth . . 1 drachm, 
Camphor water .... V fluidounces. 
Mix. 
Dose, a tablespoonful to relieve the pain. 

Coffee, made quite strong, with the 
addition of the juice of a lemon to a cup, 
sweetened to the taste, often affords marked 
relief to the pain. 

Dr. "William A. Hammond, of New 
York, strongly recommends oxide of zinc 
as of great yalue in this affection : — 

Take of— 

Oxide of zinc .... 40 grains, 
Confection of roses . a sufficient quantity 
to make a mass. 

Divide into twenty pills. 
One is to be taken, three times a day, after each meal. 

"When the stomach is much irritated, the 
following pills may be taken for a while, 
instead of oxide of zinc: — 



380 A physician's counsels to woman. 

Take of— 

Subcarbonate of bismuth . 40 grains, 
Confection of roses . a sufficient quantity 
to make a mass. 

Divide into twenty pills. 
One three times a day, after meals. 

A combination of bromide of potassium 
and bromide of ammonium is very ser- 
viceable when the nervous system is irri- 
tated, but of no benefit when there is 
exhaustion of the nerve force : — 

Take of— 

Bromide of potassium . 3 drachms, 
Bromide of ammonium . 2 drachms, 
Cinnamon water ... 4 fluidounces. 
Mix. 
Dose, a dessertspoonful (two teaspoonfuls) three times 
a day. 

"When there is much flatulence (wind in 
the bowels), the following is of advan- 
tage : — 

Take of— 

Aromatic powder . . .60 grains, 
Carbonate of soda ... 30 grains, 
Tincture of cinnamon . ^ fluidounce, 
Peppermint water ... 2 fluidounces, 
Syrup of ginger . . . 1J fluidounce. 

Mix. 
Dose, a tablespoonful. * 



■i 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 381 

In the treatment of nervous headache 
there are three main points which should 
be remembered: i. e., that diet is of the 
chief importance in the simple nervous 
headache; exercise in hysterical cases; 
medicine in those headaches which depend 
6n extreme exhaustion. 

The diet should be proportioned to the 
amount of exercise taken. . The meals 
should be regular, everything but the 
plainest dishes being avoided. All rich 
pastry, fat meats, and condiments must be 
avoided. Exposure to cold and damp, or 
the risk of wet feet, should be guarded 
against, especially during or near the 
monthly periods. The hours should be 
regular, and though cheerful society or 
amusements, that divert without exciting 
the mind, are to be commended, yet even 
these must be pursued with moderation, lest 
"the toiling pleasure sicken into pain." 
All enervating habits are to be broken 
through. Sea-bathing is very beneficial, 
or cold sponging of the surface of the body; 
or the shower bath, when the progress 



382 A physician's counsels to woman. 



towards recovery is somewhat advanced, 
for it can seldom be borne before. This 
free use of cold water is especially advan- 
tageous in hysterical cases. It acts as a 
tonic; and, if combined with regular and 
brisk exercise and careful diet,, will often 
suffice to move the hysteric tendency, with- 
out the use of medicine, for which the 
natural mineral waters may often be sub- 
stituted with advantage. 

In cases of headache clearly traceable to 
debility or exhaustion, the first thing is, of 
course, to remove the drain on the system 
that has so enfeebled the frame. The diet 
should be in the highest degree nutritious. 
The temperature of the body should be 
carefully maintained by judicious clothing. 
Any undue exertion or excitement must be 
avoided. Removal into the country, espe- 
cially to the native air, or to a warm spot 
at the sea-side, is often almost magical in 
its effects. The tonics we mentioned, in 
speaking of "Poverty of the Blood," are 
all beneficial. Care must be taken not to 
take too large a dose of any tonic at first, 



WOMAN IN DISEASE. 383 

for the digestion in nervous persons being 
delicate, it may produce a sensation of 
tightness across the forehead, a tendency to 
costiveness, and a sense of fulness and 
irritation of the whole body. Commence, 
therefore, with smaller doses, and milder 
tonics, and increase the strength as the 
system becomes better able to bear their, 
action. 



larting fltarirs. 



At length we draw near to the end of 
our work. The Counsels which we had to 
impart to the other sex are now concluded. 
They are drawn from a wide experience of 
suffering and sickness ; they are culled from 
the lengthy works of professional teachers ; 
they have been carefully phrased in such 
terms that no one can misunderstand them. 
It now remains for them to be conned and 
heeded. 

"We have addressed the delicate girl at 
the hour when her constitution is forming, 
and when she is laying up for herself either 
that strength which is to support her under 
the trials of maturity, and the assaults of 
years, or else that frailty which is to render 
her a care to those around her, and a trouble 
to herself. 

33 ( 385 ) 



386 



PARTING WORDS. 



"We have admonished her who has as- 
sumed the fillet of the matron, and solemnly 
vowed to fulfil the responsible duties of 
the wife and mother. She now knows the 
risks to which she is exposed, and with 
them the precautions which will diminish 
these risks to the utmost. She who, having 
passed the period of childlessness, has upon 
her mind the welfare of other and more 
tender lives, has learned in what way she 
can insure them prosperous and happy 
years to the extent of her human ability. 
The changes which mark the era of the 
departure of the maternal power have been 
chronicled, and their gravity estimated. 

Finally, turning aside from these events, 
which take place, as it were, in the natural 
and normal life of every female, we have 
laid particular stress on the peculiar dis- 
eases to which woman is subject. "We 
have described them with such minuteness 
that no one can fail to recognize them ; we 
have pointed out the deleterious influence 
they often exert on the well-being of the 
whole frame ; we have dilated on the ease 



PARTING WORDS. 387 

with which they frequently may be pre- 
vented; and lastly, we have called atten- 
tion to the methods by which they can be 
relieved and, in cases, cured by simple 
means within the reach of every one. 

Such has been the ground over which 
the reader has ^passed in our company. 
That the information conveyed has been 
conscientiously brought forward, we feel ; 
that it will be carefully applied, we hope. 
In such case, the sad spectacles of women, 
ignorant and unfitted for their destined 
duties, and seeking to shirk them by 
unlawful means, will diminish. And we 
may look forward to the time when, once 
again, like the mother of the Gracchi, the 
wife and mother of our own country will 
proudly bring forward her many sons and 
daughters, as the most highly prized jewels 
in her cabinet of treasures, and the antique 
virtues will return to our hearts and homes. 



nhtx 



A. 

PAGE 

Abortion, the crime of 150 

the production of, a cause of female diseases 279 
Accidents to children which do not require the 

physician's care 249 

Age of bride and groom, proper difference in the 9T 
of the child, when it may have other food 

than milk 231 

of parents, effect of, on sex of the children 139 

Amount of milk the infant needs . . 223 

Animal and spiritual love . . . . . 10T 

Astringent vaginal injections, receipts for . . 336 



B. 



Beautiful children, can we have them at will? . 120 
Bed and its coverings 114 

33* ( 389 ) 



390 



INDEX, 



Blood, how to examine the condition of the 

poverty of the . • . 

Burns and scalds in childhood . 



PAGE 

37 
340 

252 



C. 



Causes of disease in woman 
Change of life, the 

the age of decline 

its diseases . 

its hygiene . 



its signs 



Changes in the milk, means of recognizing 
Child-bearing, a preventive of female diseases 
Chills and fever during pregnancy 

Chlorosis 

Confinement, how to learn the date of 
Constitution and temperament, influence of, on 

the mother's milk . . . . . 
Consumption, how to prevent . 
Corset, the abuses of the .... 
a mother's letter on the . 



276 

81 

82 

85 

92 

83 

234 

286 

193 

35 

200 

232 
44 
45 

47 



INDEX. 391 

PAGE 

Cooling vaginal injections, receipts for . . 336 

Counsel to sterile wives 327 

Cousins, should the marriage of, be forbidden ? 100 



Date of confinement, how to learn the . . 200 
Deodorizing vaginal injections, receipts for . 337 
Desire, the indulgence of . . . . . Ill 
Dickson, Dr. Samuel H., his views on the mar- 
riage of cousins 103 

Disease, how affected by pregnancy . . .191 
Diseases of childhood, the r61e of the mother in 255 

of teething .263 

in woman . . . . . . . 275 

Dislocations, in children, the first cares in . 254 

Disposition, woman's .21 

Distinction of the sexes, conclusion regarding 

the 26 

Diverse influence of fathers and mothers . . 128 
Dress, folly in, a cause of female diseases . .276 
Dressing of small wounds in children . .251 



392 



I^DEX. 



E. 



Early matrimony, dangers of 
Emotion, influence of, on the milk 
Excess of milk, treatment of 
Experiences, the first . 



PAGE 

73 
229 
236 
110 



Families, the limitation of . . * . 
Favorinus, on the moral obligation of the mother 

to nurse her own child 
Female diseases .... 
causes of 
prevention of 
mortality contrasted with male 
Feminine attributes, the 
Food, influence of mother's, upon her 

proper for infants 
Form, woman's .... 
Fractures in children, the first cares in 



milk 



146 

205 

275 

276 

280 

23 

15 

224 

239 

16 

254 



index. 393 



G. 

PAGE 

Gout and rheumatism, causes of painful periods 292 

in women, when most frequent ... 89 

Green-sickness . . . . . . * 35 



Hammond, Dr. Wm. A., on the influence of 

mother's milk over child .... 230 

on mother's marks Ill 

Hair, woman's, how it differs from man's .. . 17 

Headaches 35? 

Health and peculiar diseases, woman's . . 24 
culture, systematic, a means of preventing 

female diseases 282 

Height and weight, differences in, between 

the sexes 17 

Hidden sin, the 51 

Hippocrates, on mother's marks . . .170 

How soon after birth should the mother give the 

breast? 215 



394 



LNDEX. 



PAGE 

How often during the day ought the child nurse 220 

Hygiene of puberty 40 

of the infanjb before weaning . . . 242 

H} T gienic facts and rules relative to nursing . 213 

Hysteria . 38 



Imprudences during the monthly period, a cause 



of female diseases 






. 278 


Inability to suckle, reasons of 






. 216 


Indulgence, the, of desire . 






. Ill 


Infant hygiene before weaning 






. 242 


the air it breathes 






. 243 


the clothing it wears . 






. 248 


its light .... 






. 245 


its temperature . 






. 246 


its sleep .... 






, . 247 


Infant's food 






. 238 


Infertility in marriage, the causes of 


. 320 


Influence of emotion on the milk 


. 229 


of the marital relation on the milk 


. 226 


of the monthly sickness upo 


n the 


milk 


. 225 



INDEX. 



395 



Influence of mother's food upon her milk . 

of the mother's mind on the unborn child 

of pregnancy on the milk . 
Inheritance 

beauty of form and features inherited 

diseases inherited 

different forms of . . 

intellectual qualities inherited 

moral qualities inherited 

muscular and vital powers inherited 

physical peculiarities inherited . 
Injections, vaginal, how to make and use 

astringent, receipts for 

cooling, receipts for 

deodorizing, receipts for 

soothing, receipts for . 
Iron, receipts for, in the treatment of debility . 
Is it necessary at night to give the breast so 
often as in the daytime ? . 



PAGE 

224 

no 

228 
116 
120 
131 
lit 
127 
130 
124 
118 
334 
336 
336 
337 
335 
346 

221 



K. 



Knowledge, importance of, to mothers 



. 203 



396 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Late matrimony, the dangers of . . ; 75 

Laws, the, of marriage 67 

Lead-poisoning during pregnancy . . .194 
Levy, Dr. Michael, on the influence of pregnancy 

over female health and beauty . . .182 
Life, average duration of, with woman . . 23 

Longevity, woman's 23 

Love, animal and spiritual . . .107 



M. 



Marital relation, influence of, on the milk . . 226 

relations during pregnancy . . . .199 

Marriage, a preventive of female diseases , . 285 

the laws of 67 

the age of .69 

May and December, the union of ... 98 
Measles, during pregnancy . . • . .194 

Medicines for children, useless and dangerous, 

forms of 256 



INDEX. 



397 



Meigs, Dr. Chas., a case reported by 
Monthly change, the . 

its duration and amount 

its hygiene . 

its nature 
sickness, influence of, upon the milk 
Morning sickness of pregnancy, treatment 
Mortality, female, contrasted with male 
Mother, the wife a 

Mott, Dr. Yalentine, on mother's marks 
Muscular S3^stem of girls and boys contrasted 
Music, influence of, on young girls 



of 



PAGE 

313 

55 

59 

60 

56 

225 

195 

23 

203 

175 

16 

32 



N. 



Napheys, Dr. George H., his views on tne mar- 
riage of cousins . . 101 
interestiug case reported by . . .141 

on criminal abortion 151 

on mother's marks . . . . . 172 
Necker-Saussure, Madame, her remark upon 

woman 15 

Neglect of fresh air and exercise, a cause of 

female diseases 277 



398 



INDEX. 



Nervous excitement, a cause of female diseases 218 
headache ....... 310 



Neuralgia, painful periods due to 

Neuralgic pains ." 

Nubility 

difference between, and puberty 
its period .... 



289 

352 

66 

66 

6T 



O. 



Opium, danger of its administration to children 258 



Painful periods 288 

due to neuralgia 289 

due to gout and rheumatism . . . 292 

due to congestion 294 

due to obstruction 296 

Parents, what they transmit to their offspring . 116 

Parting words 385 

Passion, how to check bursts of, in children . 252 



INDEX. 



399 



Perils of pregnancy 

of womanhood and manhood compared 
Phjsical condition of parents, effects of, on the 

sex of the children . . . 
Position, the best in which to nurse . 
Poverty of the blood ...... 

Precautions, during the monthly periods, a 
means of preventing female diseases 

in giving the breast . . . 

Pregnancy, the hygiene of . 

the nervous system during pregnancy 

influence of, on the milk .... 

influence of, on the intellectual faculties 

is it useful or hurtful to female health and 
beauty? .... 

perils of 

precautions during 

a preventive of female diseases 

signs and symptoms of 
Preliminaries of marriage, the . 
Prevention of disease in woman 
Profuse periods .... 

treatment of 
Puberty 



h} r giene of 



PAGE 

188 
25 



142 
219 
340 

283 
216 
159 
169 
228 
185 

182 

188 

180 

286 

154 

96 

280 

300 

301 

28 

40 



400 INDEX. 

PAGE 

Puberty, its perils ...... 33 

signs of 29 

when it comes .... .30 

Puerperal mania 189 

Pulse, the female 19 



Quieting children, means of . . . .252 



R. 



Remedies for the troubles of teething . 26 T 

Rdmusat, Madame de, the opinion of, on early 

marriages ..... 75 

Respiration, the female . . . . .19 



S. 



Scantiness of milk, treatment of 236 

Scanty and suppressed periods .... 304 
Scarlet fever, during pregnancy . . .193 



INDEX. 



401 



Scrofulous constitution, the 

treatment of scrofula . . - " . 
Sex, the voluntary production of 
Sick headache 

causes of 

treatment of . ." 

Signs and symptoms of pregnancy 
Sin, the hidden . . . 
Single life, the . . . 
Size of family influenced by age of marriage 
Skeleton, the feminine .... 

Skin diseases during pregnancy 

woman's, how it differs from man's 
Sleeping apartment, the .... 
Slight accidents, what the nofother should do in 
Smallpox during pregnancy 
Small wounds and cuts, treatment of, in children 
Soaps, injurious medicated 
Social arithmetic, the, of the sexes . 
Soothing vaginal injections, receipts for . 
Statistics of life, woman's .... 

Sterility in marriage 

Strength, woman's, contrasted with man's 



PAGE 

269 
2U 
135 
358 
363 
363 
154 
51 

n 

321 

16 
194 

It 
112 
249 
193 
251 
260 

22 
335 

22 
319 

18 



34* 



402 



INDEX. 



Teeth, the order of, the appearance of 
Teething, diseases and dangers of 
Temperament, the feminine 
Temporary sterility, periods of . 
Thury, Prof., the theory of 
Too much or too little milk 
Twins, how to foretell 



PAGE 

264 
263 
20 
323 
136 
236 
157 



W. 



Weight and height, difference in, between the 

sexes . IT 

What the mother needs to fit her to nurse her 

child . . . . .. . . 209 

makes nursing difficult . . . .211 

forbids nursing . . ' . . . . 212 

parents transmit to their offspring . . .116 
the mother should do in slight accidents . 249 
makes woman 15 

Which sex is the more numerous . . . 144 



INDEX. 403 

PAGE 

White flowing . 331 

cause of . 332 

treatment of . . . . . 333 

Who should not marry 99 

Wife, woman a lOt 

Woman, what makes 15 

Woman's diseases 275 

Womb, rheumatic and neuralgic pains in . . 352 
Wounds and cuts, children's, treatment of .251 








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